sergeant

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noun ser·geant \ ˈsär-jənt \

Definition of sergeant

1 :sergeant at arms

2 obsolete :an officer who enforces the judgments of a court or the commands of one in authority

3 :a noncommissioned officer ranking in the army and marine corps above a corporal and below a staff sergeant; broadly :noncommissioned officer

4 :an officer in a police force ranking in the U.S. just below captain or sometimes lieutenant and in England just below inspector

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Recent Examples of sergeant from the Web

Troops led by young sergeants and lieutenants are directly coordinating with civil authorities on the ground with relatively few cues from senior leaders, according to Col.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "‘Formal plans will come later’: Texas Guard troops scramble to rescue civilians in the wake of Hurricane Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
Catalan police chief Josep Lluis Trapero said the driver of a Ford Focus rammed the control post and wounded a sergeant.

— Bloomberg.com, "The Latest Updates on Spain Terror Attacks," 18 Aug. 2017
Born and raised in Israel, Maya Scwartz served as an Israeli Defense Force army drill sergeant with a combat unit for two years.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Head of school attributes IDF experience to leadership skills," 17 Aug. 2017
There have been similar crimes in other cities as well, such as the murder last summer of three Baton Rouge police officers by a former Marine sergeant.

— sapna rampersaud, National Review, "Every State Needs Enhanced Penalties for Cop-Killers," 16 Aug. 2017
The officers were instructed to file the documents by the sergeant in charge that night of the venue detail, police chief Steve Neubauer said.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "'Mayor coming through': Tinley mayor moved cones for party bus after McCartney concert, records show," 11 Aug. 2017
To start, police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) has lived through hell.

— anne t. donahue, Marie Claire, "No One's Talking About Women Reclaiming Crime Shows, So Let's Start, Shall We?," 26 July 2017
Matthew C. Lewellen U.S. Army The victims of the shooting were 27-year-old Lewellen, a staff sergeant; Staff Sgt.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Video shows slaying of Missouri’s Matthew Lewellen, two other Green Berets in Jordan," 25 July 2017
An hour later, a local police sergeant was sent to notify her parents.

— carolyn murnick, The Cut, "What I Know About My Best Friend’s Murder," 25 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sergeant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of sergeant

Middle English, servant, attendant, sergeant, from Anglo-French sergant, serjant, from Latin servient-, serviens, present participle of servire to serve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

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Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

SERGEANT Defined for English Language Learners

sergeant

play

noun

Definition of sergeant for English Language Learners

: an officer of low rank in the army or marines
: an officer in a police force with a rank below captain or lieutenant

SERGEANT Defined for Kids

sergeant

play

noun ser·geant \ ˈsär-jənt \

Definition of sergeant for Students

1 :a noncommissioned officer in the army or marine corps ranking above a corporal or in the air force ranking above an airman first class

2 :an officer in a police force

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See words that rhyme with sergeant Spanish Central: Translation of sergeant Nglish: Translation of sergeant for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sergeant for Arabic speakers

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Definition of sergeant for English Language Learners

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