commissary

noun

com·​mis·​sary ˈkä-mə-ˌser-ē 

-ˌse-rē

plural commissaries

1

: one delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office

2

a

: a store for equipment and provisions

especially : a supermarket for military personnel

b

: food supplies

c

: a lunchroom especially in a movie studio

commissarial

ˌkä-mə-ˈsär-ē-əl 

-ˈser-

adjective

Synonyms of commissary

• deputy
• delegate
• representative
• agent
• manager
• attorney
• minister

Examples of commissary in a Sentence

will serve as commissary of religious education for the whole diocese

Recent Examples on the Web

The men shared ramen and cookies from the commissary, gave cups and bowls to newcomers and paid for phone minutes for detainees to call their families. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

His attorneys are asking the court to order payment of the Age-30 Distribution — including growth earned while it was withheld — and to instruct the successor trustee to fund Reiner’s commissary account. — Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Many adventures later, Portillo sold his business to private equity, his chain of thirty-eight restaurants and two commissaries valued at a cool billion. — John Lanchester, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

In 2010, Lucas formally proposed a museum on the former commissary site at San Francisco’s Crissy Field, but the Presidio Trust opened the location to competing proposals and ultimately rejected all three finalists. — Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English commissarie, borrowed from Anglo-French commissaire, commissarie, borrowed from Medieval Latin commissārius, from Latin commissus (past participle of committere "to join together, engage, place in the keeping of, entrust, bring about") + -ārius -ary entry 1 — more at commit

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for commissary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

Kids Definition

commissary

noun

com·​mis·​sary ˈkäm-ə-ˌser-ē 

plural commissaries

1

: a person to whom a duty or office is entrusted by someone of higher rank

2

: a store that provides supplies (as food) especially to members of the military and their families