commissioner

American  

[kuh-mish-uh-ner] / kəˈmɪʃ ə nər /

noun

• commissioners
  plural

1. a person commissioned to act officially; member of a commission.

2. a government official or representative in charge of a department or district.

   the police commissioner; the commissioner of a colony.

3. an official chosen by an athletic association to exercise broad administrative or judicial authority.

   the baseball commissioner.

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commissioner British  

/ kəˈmɪʃənə /

noun

1. a person authorized to perform certain tasks or endowed with certain powers

2. government

   1. any of several types of civil servant

   2. an ombudsman See also Health Service Commissioner Parliamentary Commissioner

3. a member of a commission

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• commissionership
  noun
• subcommissioner
  noun
• subcommissionership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commissioners
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of commissioner

1400–50; late Middle English < Anglo-French. See commission, -er ²

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Explanation

The noun commissioner refers to someone in charge of a formal group or organization, such as a police commissioner or a baseball commissioner. As you might guess, commissioner is related to commission, which describes a group that carries out a particular function. Commissioner can describe an official who directs or regulates a commission, or it can be that person's title. For example, if Theodore Young is the housing commissioner, in formal situations you’d refer to him as Commissioner Young.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commissioner commissioners

Why games now seem to drag on longer than some players’ college careers is a question that even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been asking himself recently.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

In 2019, the family received an apology from then garda commissioner Drew Harris in relation to the handling of the investigation into the murder.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Hurts is perhaps one of the most disrespected players in the NFL as, in commissioner Roger Goodell’s words, a “face of the league.”

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

"Like everyone, we're examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends and colleagues," Victoria police commissioner Mike Bush told journalists.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

But a county commissioner called him right after the broadcast and talked to him for over an hour.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

The commissioners are now the first to have their decision reversed by a secretary of state, although they will say conditions and the police advice had changed.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The Election Commission, a three-member body comprising the chief election commissioner and two election commissioners, defended its decision-making process, saying differing views were part of institutional functioning and that decisions had ultimately been taken unanimously.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The Department of Pesticide Regulation is charged with statewide enforcement and provides guidance and training for 55 county agricultural commissioners, who police their jurisdictions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The Department of Pesticide Regulation in late 2025 unveiled searchable county and statewide data breakdowns for regulatory actions taken by agricultural commissioners from the start of 2020 through the end of June 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Late in November, a two-week inquiry was held by the police and fire commissioners concerning the fire.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

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