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
Relevance
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
On average, more than one Illinois public servant per week — for 40 years between 1983 and 2023 — was convicted of corruption just in federal court, not including local prosecutions.
—
Matt Paprocki, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025
Other charges include harassment of a public servant and failure to obey a lawful order to disperse.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 12 June 2025
Years later, my parents saw me be sworn in as a school board member and walk the halls of government as a public servant.
—Cipriano Vargas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2025
Gerry was a terrific public servant who achieved much.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for public servant
Matt Paprocki, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025
Other charges include harassment of a public servant and failure to obey a lawful order to disperse.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 12 June 2025
Years later, my parents saw me be sworn in as a school board member and walk the halls of government as a public servant.
—Cipriano Vargas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2025
Gerry was a terrific public servant who achieved much.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for public servant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servant
Noun
-
According to the motion, ICE officers were apparently looking for one of Orozco’s sons, who is decades younger but has the same name.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Hot Topic Beth Deane, chief legal officer for Electric Hydrogen, on the survival of federal hydrogen tax credits in Trump’s budget bill The outlook for the 45V federal credit seemed grim in the new budget but it was maintained in the final version.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Is there anything that Congress can do to protect some of these civil servants?—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 July 2025
-
In total, the 2,145 senior staff make up the bulk of the 2,694 civil servants who have agreed to leave NASA through early retirements, buyouts, or deferred resignation offers — part of a wider administration effort to pare down the federal workforce.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
Jeannie Maxon was arrested on 93 counts of animal abuse, officials said.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
-
Federal officials said Soliman was living in the United States after overstaying his visa.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
The city clerk’s responsibilities include attending all City Council meetings, taking meeting minutes and signing official documents, according to the city’s news release.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
-
The 1,300-member Judicial Professional Employees Union, which represents probation officers, information technology analysts, assistant clerks, counselors and other support staff, announced an impasse July 2.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Climate United Fund and other nonprofits in March sued the Environmental Protection Agency, its administrator Lee Zeldin and Citibank, which held the program’s money.—
Michael Phillis,
Chicago Tribune,
4 July 2025
-
The closure of Jackson South’s labor and delivery unit is the latest in South Florida and comes at a time when many hospitals across the country have closed their maternity wards, with administrators often citing costs and staffing issues.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
A lot of health care providers don't know what their rights are, Gounder said, prompting at least some hospitals to offer employees guidance on potential ICE encounters.—
Sarah Lynch Baldwin,
CBS News,
8 July 2025
-
In metro Detroit, a Chevrolet and Ford dealer each reported monthly loan terms and payments are much lower here than Edmunds' national averages because of the popularity of leasing and employee discounts, both of which bring down monthly payments.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
That is similar to the impact of technological progress on workers.—
Olesya Dmitracova,
CNN Money,
9 July 2025
-
Instead, the workplace economy must foster a system that shares risk, prioritizes results, and better supports workers through the full journey to economic mobility.—
Jason Wingard,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
The bureaucrats in charge chose to lie to the public about this unpleasant fact.—
Josh Mazer,
Baltimore Sun,
9 July 2025
-
This would shift decision-making power to lawmakers (or possibly bureaucrats employed by the state).—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Public servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servant. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share