1
as in official
a person who holds a public office
the new governor made a vow that he would always remember why he was called a public servant
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in civil servant
a worker in a government agency
concerned that the new federal agency would just add another slew of public servants to the government payroll
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of public servant
But dismissing public servants as lazy, overpaid or uncaring ignores the reality of the people doing the work — and undermines our ability to attract the talent needed to govern well.
—
John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Wilson pleaded guilty in December to one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony.
—Austen Erblat, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
She was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault of a public servant and drug possession charges.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
In the week before Christmas, while the U.S. Department of Justice was getting ready to release a trove of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case, some of the nation’s most important public servants gathered for a meeting at the DOJ headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public servant
John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Wilson pleaded guilty in December to one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony.
—Austen Erblat, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
She was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault of a public servant and drug possession charges.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
In the week before Christmas, while the U.S. Department of Justice was getting ready to release a trove of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case, some of the nation’s most important public servants gathered for a meeting at the DOJ headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public servant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servant
Noun
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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
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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
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There are cash shortages, and the salaries for civil servants haven’t been paid out, even for many Houthi fighters.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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Thailand ordered civil servants to take the stairs, Vietnam is encouraging workers to log in from home, and the Philippines is pushing for a four-day work week.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The agency is in the process of hiring and onboarding 10,000 additional personnel in its Enforcement and Removal Operations office, which had about 6,500 officers until last year.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 2026
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Steps from the Capitol's West Front and where the worst of the fighting occurred, workers quietly have installed a plaque honoring the officers, three years after it was required by law to be erected.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The computer rendered the data entry clerk, the switchboard operator, and file clerks obsolete.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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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
-
One administrator told me that he was baffled, but that the embassy staff seemed confident that something would come of it.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Executive associate athletic director Courtney Vinson, the men’s basketball administrator, will lead the program until a new coach is hired.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Aid workers are delivering food, water, shelter, and medical and mental health care, among other services.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
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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
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Playing fast and loose with federal funds could reflect an issue within a singular agency — inadequate leadership, bad direction or rogue bureaucrats, for example.—
Steve Arentz,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Mar. 2026
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Trump is the one person who can stop this proposal with one word to the federal bureaucrats who put forth this plan.—
Shane Weddle,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Public servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servant. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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