commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər 

: a person with a commission: such as

a

: a member of a commission

b

: the representative of the governmental authority in a district, province, or other unit often having both judicial and administrative powers

c

: the officer in charge of a department or bureau of the public service

d

: the administrative head of a professional sport

commissionership

kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of commissioner in a Sentence

The baseball commissioner decided to suspend the players for 10 games.

Recent Examples on the Web

Playoffs have been under the shadow of league star Napheesa Collier speaking with pointed criticism of commissioner Cathy Engelbert in what amounts to a mutiny against the commish, with other players backing Collier. —Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025

College presidents, athletic directors, coaches, conference commissioners, and NCAA executives take in six- and seven-figure salaries. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Because there is no quorum, the absence of Republican commissioners doesn't matter all that much. —Ashley Lopez, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025

No president has ever fired a commissioner, and many commissioners have been outspoken advocates for free speech. —Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "person empowered to carry out defined duties," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius, from commissiōn-, commissiō commission entry 1 + Latin -ārius -ary entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing commissioner

• high commissioner
• resident commissioner

Rhymes for commissioner

• conditioner
• parishioner
• petitioner
• positioner
• practitioner
• missioner

Kids Definition

commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmish-(ə-)nər 

1

: a member of a commission

2

: an official in charge of a government department

Police Commissioner

Legal Definition

commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er

: a person with a commission: as

a

: a member of a commission

b

often capitalized : the officer in charge of a government agency

a police commissioner