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 Meade feels her journey as a public servant has been guided by her mother, her north star, who worked as a grocery store cashier for 28 years. Jenelyn Russo, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026 She was charged with disorderly intoxication, battery on an officer/firefighter/EMT, resisting arrest with violence and threatening a public servant, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Diane J. Cho, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026 For an-hour-and-half, more than two dozen people shared their memories of Metayer Bowen, and she was repeatedly called a public servant rather than a politician. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026 Peters was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count each of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failure to comply with the requirements of the secretary of state. ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public servant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servant
Noun
  • Trump administration officials also want to work toward establishing a Board of Trade with China to address commercial differences between the countries.
    Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • An internal affairs investigation has been launched after San Diego police clashed with several people in the Gaslamp Quarter early Sunday, deploying Tasers and pepper spray as violent fights broke out amid a large crowd, police officials said.
    Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • Judge Jesse Furman decided the case belongs with him because Comey was fired pursuant to the president's executive authority and not the usual procedures for civil servants.
    Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The firm recruits tenants from the State Attorney’s Office, police and fire departments, and hospitals, and 70% of residents are civil servants, the partners say.
    Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • One of the owners told officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that 31 other sloths, from Guyana and Peru, had died — either on the way to the attraction or after arriving and being stored over cold nights in a building with no heat or running water.
    Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 May 2026
  • His attorney had asked officers to check on him, investigators said.
    Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • The judges face a ticking clock as local election clerks prepare to finalize ballots for the August primaries by May 26 and decisions in the three cases are likely to come quickly.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 10 May 2026
  • Khatri approached the undercover officer who had just presented the store’s clerk with a fake $1,000 winning ticket, court records show.
    Jack Jankowski, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 May 2026
Noun
  • The 1984 rodeo made a profit of $23,000, but administrators cited additional and prohibitive costs as the reason for discontinuing future rodeos.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 May 2026
  • Woodbury city administrator Jeffrey Dahl said the city has a booming health care and retail industry, and the new Amazon facility is another asset to the city that will encourage resilience and business and career diversity.
    Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 May 2026
Noun
  • As of December, Cloudflare had 5,156 employees.
    Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
  • Shelter employees identified him through an NYPD CrimeStoppers alert, leading to his arrest two days later.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • And inside the adjacent soft pretzel shop, two workers leaned over on the counter, watching videos on a phone to pass the time.
    Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
  • Earlier this week the United Nations blasted Israel over its strikes killing healthcare workers, saying the World Health Organization has recorded 151 such attacks resulting in 103 deaths and 230 injuries.
    Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Noun
  • At scale, the petty-minded bureaucrats implementing an agenda to sanitize American history, and to erase or suppress political dissent, have committed and will continue to commit a great deal of mischief.
    Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
  • The free market allows discovery of best ways to inhibit and punish undesirable behavior — ways politicians and bureaucrats could never discover.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 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 15 May. 2026.

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