sergeant

especially British, ser·jeant

[sahr-juhnt]

noun

1. a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.

2. U.S. Air Force.,  any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.

3. a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.

4. a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination).

   sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.

5. sergeant at arms.

6. Also called sergeant at law. British.,  (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.

7. sergeantfish.

8. (initial capital letter),  a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.

9. a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.

sergeant

/ ˈsɑːdʒənsɪ, ˈsɑːdʒənt /

noun

1. a noncommissioned officer in certain armed forces, usually ranking above a corporal

2. 1. (in Britain) a police officer ranking between constable and inspector

   2. (in the US) a police officer ranking below a captain

3. See sergeant at arms

4. a court or municipal officer who has ceremonial duties

5. (formerly) a tenant by military service, not of knightly rank

6. See serjeant at law

Other Word Forms

• sergeancy noun
• sergeantship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sergeant¹

1150–1200; Middle English sergant, serjant, serjaunt < Old French sergent < Latin servient- (stem of serviēns ), present participle of servīre. See serve, -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of sergeant¹

C12: from Old French sergent, from Latin serviēns, literally: serving, from servīre to _serve

Example Sentences

“I’m like a drill sergeant, to say the least,” she said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Drill sergeants greet them with abusive screaming before shaving their heads and shoving uniforms into their hands.

Read more on Salon

Oz Daniel, 19, was a sergeant in the IDF's 7th Armoured Brigade and was killed during a battle with Hamas gunmen near the Gaza perimeter fence on 7 October.

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Later that day, a sergeant from the Portland Police Bureau filed his daily observations of the demonstrations outside an ICE facility.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The former sergeant in Taiwan’s special forces started a civil-defense training business in 2022, shortly after the war in Ukraine began.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agent 
• informer 
• police officer 
• private eye 
• private investigator 
• prosecutor 
• reporter 
• sleuth 
• spy