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

And longtime commissioner Adam Silver finally is using his backhoe instead of a trowel to dig into it. —Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2026

Another, Pioneer Creek Wind, is under construction and anticipated to generate $36 million in landowner payments and $84 million in county tax revenue over its lifespan, said county commissioner Shawn Tasset. —Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 21 Feb. 2026

The signs will mark a two-mile stretch of Williamson Road, just south of Granbury, following a proclamation last month by Hood County commissioners. —Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 21 Feb. 2026

In a typical election year, the interest in the down-ballot race for California insurance commissioner musters modest interest at best. —Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026

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