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

Etymology

Origin of commissioner

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

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

Frank Yiannas, a former FDA deputy commissioner, said the agency appears to have moved slowly in its response.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The United Nations General Assembly voted Friday to renew Volker Turk's mandate as high commissioner for human rights for four years despite strong opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Voters ultimately passed Proposition 103, which promised insurance rate roll-backs and created the elected state insurance commissioner role.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Aliyu's report of the incident to the police prompted what the commissioner described as an "intelligence-driven operation" that led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader and subsequently the other suspects.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Shortly before 10 p.m., the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, the warden, and several other men wearing suits gestured to the visitation officer.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

He’s shown up at games, kept league commissioners close, and opined on trades and rule changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Police and crime commissioners will be abolished as part of plans to devolve powers to Norfolk and Suffolk and create a mayorship covering the two counties.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

In establishing these commissions, Congress wanted the commissioners to use their expertise and collective decisionmaking to shape important areas of policy without partisan influence.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Former Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed the Coastal Act into law in 1976, once called the commissioners “bureaucratic thugs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Time was so short, the Executive Committee began planning exhibits and appointing world’s fair commissioners to secure them.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• administrator