public servant

Definition of public servantnext
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

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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

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 public servant Lewis was convicted of four felony charges (one count of attempting to influence a public servant and three counts of forgery). Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026 Two cases with significant differences Peters and Lewis were both convicted of attempting to influence a public servant, a crime that involves using deception or a threat to try to get a public official to act in a certain way. Colleen Slevin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026 Peters and Lewis were both convicted of attempting to influence a public servant, a crime that involves using deception or a threat to try to get a public official to act in a certain way. ABC News, 4 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 See All Example Sentences for public servant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servant
Noun
  • States that don't go along with the executive order are at risk of losing federal funding, a White House official told CBS News earlier this week.
    Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The Catawba County’s Fire Marshal requested a criminal investigation into the cause, which led to the SBI being involved, officials said.
    Mark Price April 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Starting this week, state institutions, schools and universities, began to operate only four days a week, and civil servants are being ordered to work from home where possible.
    Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Mar. 2026
  • In 1996 a Swedish journalist, Erling Söderström, accompanied a Brazilian civil servant Sydney Pousselo, on a mission to make peace with Korubo.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • He is expected to survive and was identified as 68-year-old William Brumley of Vallejo, officers said.
    Brandon Downs, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Then, police say, Shipp got a hold of an officer’s pepper spray but wasn’t able to use it.
    Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The store clerk told her that Teresa may have gone with Duckett, and the mother began searching the area.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
  • In Miami-Dade County, for example, the penalty is $257, according to the county clerk’s office.
    Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • If the judge signs off on the case April 2, a fund administrator will be appointed and a website will be created for the settlement.
    Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
  • According to Chartis, 40% of rural hospitals already operate at a loss, and many hospital administrators say they could be forced to reduce services, or worse, if fewer patients have insurance to pay for their care.
    Caleb Hellerman, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • And all were linked to individuals in Argentina with modest financial backgrounds—a pharmacy employee, a shop worker, a bankrupt businessman—people with no visible connection to multimillion-dollar financial operations.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The employees of Rockin’ Grandma’s roam the grounds of the retreat site, which boasts multiple structures, and are visited by a series of guest speakers whose lectures range from the merely dull to the truly Dada.
    Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • This time, however, travelers are already facing long lines and delays due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has left thousands of TSA workers without pay.
    De'Anthony Taylor, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Fatalities data, the group says, is based on a range of sources, including sources among medical workers, publicly available images and official statements.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In the Philippines, government offices are now open just four days a week and bureaucrats must limit the use of air conditioning to nothing cooler than 75°F (24°C).
    Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • The barrier was a system so centralized, bureaucrats and procedural that even a straightforward literacy effort became tangled in red tape.
    Daniel L Gordon, Daily News, 29 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Public servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servant. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.

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