servant

noun

ser·​vant ˈsər-vənt 

: one that serves others

a public servant

especially : one that performs duties for another as a personal or domestic attendant

servanthood

ˈsər-vənt-ˌhu̇d 

noun

servantless adjective

Synonyms of servant

• steward
• maid
• housekeeper
• butler
• lackey

Examples of servant in a Sentence

the wealthy family had servants to clean and cook for them

Recent Examples on the Web

Banks paid millions of dollars by today’s standards to bring along a botanist, artists, servants, his greyhound and scientific equipment. — Saar Shahar, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026

The remains of these servants, or retainers, were first excavated from the funerary complexes at Abydos, eastern Egypt, which date from around 3000 BC, in the 1920s. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

The annual salary for a housemaid was approximately £25 plus room and board, while that of a male household servant was £30 plus room and board. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026

Egyptologists have long debated whether the earliest pharaohs of the First Dynasty were buried with various servants and officials to serve them in the afterlife—a form of human sacrifice. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English servant, sarvaunt "person serving a master or lord, retainer, attendant," borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative from past participle of servir "to be in attendance on, serve entry 1"

Note: Compare sergeant.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing servant

• bond servant
• civil servant
• fellow servant
• indentured servant
• public servant

Rhymes for servant

• fervent
• maidservant
• manservant
• observant

Kids Definition

servant

noun

ser·​vant ˈsər-vənt 

: one that serves others

especially : a person hired to perform household or personal services

Etymology

Middle English servant "servant," from early French servant (same meaning), from a form of servir "to serve," from Latin servire "to be a slave, serve," from servus "slave, servant" — related to serf

Legal Definition

servant

noun

ser·​vant

: a person who serves others: as

a

: an individual who performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer

b

: a person in the employ and subject to the direction or control of an individual or company see also respondeat superior compare agent, master