servant
Americannoun
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a person employed by another, especially to perform domestic duties.
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a person in the service of another.
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a person employed by the government.
a public servant.
noun
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a person employed to work for another, esp one who performs household duties
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See public servant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of servant
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French, noun use of present participle of servir to serve; see -ant
Explanation
A servant works at someone’s home, often doing lowly tasks. You might feel like a servant when your mom insists that you do the dishes before you can do anything fun, but think how she feels cooking dinner every day! If you’re a servant, you serve someone else. In that 1930s mystery novel, chances are the rich family had servants to set the table and do the laundry. Nowadays, calling someone who does those things a servant has an insulting connotation. If you think your hard work gets no respect, you might feel like a servant. But people who work for the government like to be called "public servants," because they serve the good of public and not themselves.
Vocabulary lists containing servant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But you’ve had some real loss recently — you were close to Silent Servant and the Soft Moon, who sadly passed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
While most of its donors aren’t disclosed, records show the Servant Foundation, a philanthropy linked to the evangelical family that founded Hobby Lobby, has donated tens of millions of dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
Kvartal 95, which produced Zelensky's "Servant of the People" TV series, said the probe was not "related to the work of the studio".
From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025
He has starred in Apple TV series Servant for the last four years.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024
The Indentured Servant Protection Agency also used it to monitor and record my daily activities, to ensure that my human rights were being observed.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
