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

Late last month, Walz permanently appointed the official who oversaw the agency’s financial operations at the time much of the healthcare fraud occurred as DHS commissioner. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 14 Mar. 2026

The couple share three adult children and frequently appeared together during his political career, which spanned several terms as a North Miami councilman, a term as North Miami mayor and an unsuccessful bid for county commissioner. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2026

But how many voted for the city and county commissioners who set these taxes? —Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2026

The board had already seen significant turnover in recent months, as three commissioners appointed since the summer of 2024 are defending their seats. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 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