1
as in officials
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 servants
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 servants
The school nurtured generations of students who went on to become educators, business leaders, public servants and community advocates.
—
Danita R. Dehaney, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Several House members noted the lasting impact the DHS shutdown will have on public servants.
—Arden Farhi, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Sullivan noted there’s almost two dozen former public servants running for office this cycle and said the group is planning to put out their first round of endorsements within the next week or two.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2026
As public servants, your first loyalty should be to public school students whose parents cannot afford private schools even with a voucher.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
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
The perpetrators were not children, but knowledgeable adults who willfully chose to harass public servants.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
All public servants have my respect and admiration.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Evans recently attended a protest outside the nation's Supreme Court, where public servants — including teachers and nurses — demanded wage increases after three years without a pay raise.
—Manuel Rueda, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
Danita R. Dehaney, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Several House members noted the lasting impact the DHS shutdown will have on public servants.
—Arden Farhi, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Sullivan noted there’s almost two dozen former public servants running for office this cycle and said the group is planning to put out their first round of endorsements within the next week or two.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2026
As public servants, your first loyalty should be to public school students whose parents cannot afford private schools even with a voucher.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Mar. 2026
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
The perpetrators were not children, but knowledgeable adults who willfully chose to harass public servants.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
All public servants have my respect and admiration.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
Evans recently attended a protest outside the nation's Supreme Court, where public servants — including teachers and nurses — demanded wage increases after three years without a pay raise.
—Manuel Rueda, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servants
Noun
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Liz Stearman, director of behavioral health for Humana, and other Medicaid experts repeatedly warned Kentucky officials that the state’s high spending on lower-level peer support and psychoeducation without the attendant clinical services wasn’t helping people seeking addiction treatment.—
Alex Acquisto,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
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Two individuals had been treated and released, and officials were preparing search and rescue efforts to locate two more individuals who were deemed unaccounted for.—
Kaitlyn McCormick,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The second section deals with the military and civil servants and the courtiers who excelled by dint of their literary skills or musical genius.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
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Similarly, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia are encouraging remote work for civil servants.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Often, Juburi and Barnard told me, children from non-Spanish-speaking countries have been asked to translate for their parents in high-stakes interactions with ICE officers, owing to Dilley’s limited interpretation services.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
When officers arrived, the dog ran from the area.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Authorities are investigating a whistle-blower tip alleging that two Information Technology employees were working full-time for both the City of Dallas and the City of Austin simultaneously.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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According to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group, reported by Bleeping Computer, hackers have been targeting these BPOs, or business process outsourcing companies, to direct employees and customers to spoofed single sign-on webpages and steal their credentials.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fiduciary standards are developed in part by government bureaucrats.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The bureaucrats of the New Deal understood that very well.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Romvari films Sasha’s efforts by combining authentic documentary elements—the adult Sasha’s interviews with real-life psychologists and social workers—and scenes featuring dramatic monologues of a rare poetic sublimity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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In states that don’t conform to the federal tax changes, workers who receive a federal tax deduction for tips or overtime still will owe state taxes on those earnings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Public servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servants. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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