1
as in officer
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
In the first three months of his presidency, his agency heads have fired tens of thousands of public servants and prompted legal battles challenging those dismissals.
—
William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Thousands of workers from the U.S. Forest Service have been fired, so please have patience with our public servants.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Zoom out: The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants for making a courageous decision of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences.
—Russell Contreras, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Mattingly, a retired architect introduced herself as a longtime public servant who has volunteered on numerous public boards and bodies over the years, including most recently, the library board.
—Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for public servant
William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Thousands of workers from the U.S. Forest Service have been fired, so please have patience with our public servants.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Zoom out: The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants for making a courageous decision of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences.
—Russell Contreras, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025
Mattingly, a retired architect introduced herself as a longtime public servant who has volunteered on numerous public boards and bodies over the years, including most recently, the library board.
—Pioneer Press, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for public servant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servant
Noun
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Lawyers for the Harris County traffic cop said missteps by an officer prior to an escalating event do not strip them of the right to self-defense thereafter.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
-
An officer was taken in fair condition with an injury to the left shoulder to an area hospital.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
Noun
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But in March, the same senior civil servant called again to ask him to re-apply.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
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The order creates a new employment category for many career civil servants, effectively stripping them of employment protections.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kremlin officials will most likely remember the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 after an inconclusive war, which angered many veterans and contributed to the collapse of the Communist state.—
Anatoly Kurmanaev,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
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Beyond the many prayers recited at the dedication, family members, community organizers, and government officials also made strong calls to action to end violence and conflict so children can grow up and live a full life.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Court documents suggest Dugan was alerted to the agents' presence by her clerk, who was informed by an attorney that the agents appeared to be in the hallway.—
Jacob Rosen,
CBS News,
13 May 2025
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The ‘Appellate Guru’: Alexandra A.E. Shapiro Founding partner of New York firm Shapiro Arato Bach, Shapiro began her legal career more than 30 years ago serving as one of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s first clerks.—
Claudia Rosenbaum,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
Noun
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As Hackers Attack — Here’s How Professionals Weigh In Testing coordinators and administrators criticized the lack of contingency planning.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
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In states where lawmakers granted Medicaid access for undocumented immigrants, hospital administrators and faith groups, along with immigrant advocates, have helped push for the expansion of benefits.—
Laura Fitzgerald,
NPR,
18 May 2025
Noun
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All this is the painstaking work of Hazel Chatman, now in her late seventies, who’s been a public employee for forty-seven years and a caretaker of the city’s beach bathrooms for thirty.—
Shauna Lyon,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
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At least 119 Amtrak employees and doctors took the railroad company for a ride in a massive $12 million health fraud scheme, a watchdog found.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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The dorm rooms are lined with lockers and bunk beds, which workers decorate with colorful blankets.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2025
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Local Ocean Rescue workers appeared moments later and began CPR before the San Francisco Fire Department and Fire Paramedics arrived and began administering advanced life support measures.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
10 May 2025
Noun
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This bill gives more power to the same bureaucrats that created this mess and asks ratepayers to trust them again.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
13 May 2025
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Lawyers would be stripped of their independence, serve those in power rather than society at large, and function as bureaucrats, not strategists.—
Mark A. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Public servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servant. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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