librarian

1 of 2

noun (1)

li·​brar·​i·​an lī-ˈbrer-ē-ən How to pronounce librarian (audio)
-ˈbre-rē-
: a specialist in the care or management of a library
librarianship
lī-ˈbrer-ē-ən-ˌship How to pronounce librarian (audio)
-ˈbre-rē-
noun

librarianship

2 of 2

noun (2)

li·​brar·​i·​an·​ship -ˌship How to pronounce librarianship (audio)
: the office or duties of a librarian

Examples of librarian in a Sentence

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.
Noun
California Faculty Association represents 29,000 professors, lecturers, librarians, counselors and coaches. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026 Local librarians and bookstore employees are uniquely qualified to advise across genre and age. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 July 2026 The patient was the decision-maker; the search engine was just the librarian. — Hastimal Jangid, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 That could include interns, librarians, counselors and aides, according to the ruling. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for librarian

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1702, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of librarian was in 1702

Rhymes for librarian

See All Rhymes for librarian

Browse Nearby Words

Libran
librarian
librarianship
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Librarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/librarian. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

librarian

noun
li·​brar·​i·​an lī-ˈbrer-ē-ən How to pronounce librarian (audio)
: a person in charge of a library
librarianship
-ˌship How to pronounce librarian (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on librarian

Nglish: Translation of librarian for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All