as in officers
a person who holds a public office
some of our best public officials do their jobs quietly and are never in the news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 officials
Painted Tree officials attributed rising costs, market conditions and changes in consumer shopping behavior as reasons for the closure.
—
Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of security officials in early 2025 not to give Peter Mandelson the job.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Liz Stearman, director of behavioral health for Humana, and other Medicaid experts repeatedly warned Kentucky officials that the state’s high spending on lower-level peer support and psychoeducation without the attendant clinical services wasn’t helping people seeking addiction treatment.
—Alex Acquisto, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Two individuals had been treated and released, and officials were preparing search and rescue efforts to locate two more individuals who were deemed unaccounted for.
—Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
In the first shooting, Homeland Security officials accused a man of weaponizing his car and ramming a law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
His condition was stabilized and he was sent in a Mexican Air Force helicopter to a hospital in Mazatlán, where he will be treated by specialists, officials said.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
They're dressed differently each year — alternately wearing a Christmas sweater or clutching a Georgia peach ice cream sandwich — and officials haven't confirmed or denied rumors this might be their last year on the shelves.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
This language from Tehran contrasted with that of American officials, who at one point insisted the strait had reopened.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Gabriela Vidal, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of security officials in early 2025 not to give Peter Mandelson the job.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Liz Stearman, director of behavioral health for Humana, and other Medicaid experts repeatedly warned Kentucky officials that the state’s high spending on lower-level peer support and psychoeducation without the attendant clinical services wasn’t helping people seeking addiction treatment.
—Alex Acquisto, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Two individuals had been treated and released, and officials were preparing search and rescue efforts to locate two more individuals who were deemed unaccounted for.
—Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
In the first shooting, Homeland Security officials accused a man of weaponizing his car and ramming a law enforcement vehicle in an attempt to flee.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
His condition was stabilized and he was sent in a Mexican Air Force helicopter to a hospital in Mazatlán, where he will be treated by specialists, officials said.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
They're dressed differently each year — alternately wearing a Christmas sweater or clutching a Georgia peach ice cream sandwich — and officials haven't confirmed or denied rumors this might be their last year on the shelves.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
This language from Tehran contrasted with that of American officials, who at one point insisted the strait had reopened.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for officials
Noun
-
His projects have been with athletes, politicians, chief executive officers, the director of a botanical garden, a physician, a Nepalese monk, a theoretical physicist.—
John McPhee,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In a photo shared by police, officers appeared to have recovered stacks of 20-dollar bills, pills in prescription bottles, and a white powdery substance in little baggies.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The deal announced early Tuesday comes after LAUSD and the unions for teachers and school administrators reached tentative agreements Sunday on new contracts.—
Sarah Lynch Baldwin,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The three unions have never gone on strike at the same time — administrators have remained on duty during previous teacher walkouts to help keep schools open.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Officials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/officials. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
