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 That’s assuming state bureaucrats can even figure out the billionaires’ worth. Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 Chief among the latter is his region’s unnamed UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer), a wily mid-level bureaucrat who presents herself as Jahir’s direct line to the big guns, and persistently pulls rank on him with a disarming megawatt smile. Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026 Biden bureaucrats and political appointees were more interested in protecting their bureaucratic turf than facilitating the care veterans needed. Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026 Put the undocumented immigrants and lifelong bureaucrats and NATO and blue cities on watch. Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bureaucrat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bureaucrat
Noun
  • The computer rendered the data entry clerk, the switchboard operator, and file clerks obsolete.
    Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Mackinac Island's tourist season is mainly from May through October, and the island needs about 5,000 seasonal workers each year to work as baristas, front desk attendants, wait staff, retail clerks and housekeepers.
    Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The family on Wednesday filed a wrongful-death claim against the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging school officials failed to investigate reports of bullying, adequately supervise student interactions or implement effective safety measures.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • In Lebanon and parts of Syria, Israel detonated thousands of pagers of Hezbollah officials and bombed the group’s headquarters in southern Beirut, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
    Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • More than funding, though, is needed transparency by IDNR functionaries with marina boaters and Winthrop Harbor officials.
    Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Their prestige suffers because it is conflated in the public’s mind with long lines at the DMV, fastidious building inspectors, parking tickets—the stuff of local functionaries.
    Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Aid workers are delivering food, water, shelter, and medical and mental health care, among other services.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Noah Nelson, a professor at the California Institute of the Arts and founder of immersive arts publication No Proscenium, said Actors’ Equity’s recognition of the Basement’s workers is a step in the right direction as the union welcomes more nontraditional units.
    Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Those employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution, described being asked a wide range of questions about government contracts and campaign donations.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The new firm, as is being redefined by AI, is a much smaller corpus of full-time employees, because those are the least flexible workers in your talent pool.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bureaucrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bureaucrat. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.

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