Definition of bureaucratnext
as in clerk
a worker in a government agency the bureaucrats at the town hall seem to think that we need a building permit to build a tree house

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bureaucrat The state acts as cheerleader, financier, and protector, uniting the country’s bureaucrats, executives, and entrepreneurs in a mission that Beijing believes is vital to China’s future. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026 Thankfully, Iran already has online platforms, created by nongovernmental organizations, that citizens can use to register complaints about policies and bureaucrats. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Affairs, 22 Dec. 2025 In the second, a successful author (Charlotte Rampling) living in Dublin receives her annual visit from her daughters, one a rigid bureaucrat (Cate Blanchett) and the other a scuffling bohemian (Vicky Krieps). Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025 In a recent blog post, Cato Institute Scholar Colleen Hroncich said bureaucrats and policymakers make the big decisions in public school systems. Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 17 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bureaucrat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bureaucrat
Noun
  • As part of the deal with McFadden, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of embezzlement by a clerk or agent, along with an enhancement that alleged aggravating circumstances.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Trump has also repeatedly lashed out over the state’s incarceration of Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of state felonies related to her attempts to prove discredited election conspiracies shared by the president.
    Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Federal officials have said agents, including those part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are seeing increases in assaults and threats against them.
    Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
  • The best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on, officials say.
    CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Proposal 5 was actually a bit of skilled electoral craft on the part of the city’s map functionaries.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
  • But as the courts whittle away at the power of government functionaries to interpret vague congressional statutes, at least one federal agency has apparently chosen lawless rebellion.
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The project will serve as a pilot for the city’s Project Labor Agreement ordinance, with most construction performed by union workers.
    Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The train had been carrying mostly students and workers traveling to school and work in other districts when the incident unfolded, BBC Thai stated.
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Universities have long balked at the idea that their athletes are employees in some way.
    ANDREW DESTIN, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2026
  • At the time of his arrest, Willis a probationary employee for the GCSO, per the agency's news release.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bureaucrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bureaucrat. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.

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