commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər How to pronounce commissioner (audio)
: 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 noun

Examples of commissioner in a Sentence

The baseball commissioner decided to suspend the players for 10 games.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Once the commissioner decides to take over a district, TEA calls for applications from district residents who are interested in serving on the board of managers. Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2025 Only when the municipal budget hits that minimum will the city be able to unlock the one-time state matching funds, according the commissioner, which apply to every dollar over the former base. Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 19 May 2025 One of the newest examples is Trump telling the baseball commissioner that Pete Rose should be reinstated. Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025 But some of the tornado sirens in the city did not go off, which will be investigated, Sarah Russell, commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency in St. Louis. Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for commissioner

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of commissioner was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Commissioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commissioner. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

commissioner

noun
com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmish-(ə-)nər How to pronounce commissioner (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on commissioner

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!