sergeant
Americannoun
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a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.
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U.S. Air Force. any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.
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a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.
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a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination).
sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.
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Also called sergeant at law. British. (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.
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(initial capital letter) a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.
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a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.
noun
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a noncommissioned officer in certain armed forces, usually ranking above a corporal
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(in Britain) a police officer ranking between constable and inspector
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(in the US) a police officer ranking below a captain
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See sergeant at arms
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a court or municipal officer who has ceremonial duties
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(formerly) a tenant by military service, not of knightly rank
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See serjeant at law
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sergeant
1150–1200; Middle English sergant, serjant, serjaunt < Old French sergent < Latin servient- (stem of serviēns ), present participle of servīre. See serve, -ent
Explanation
Sergeant describes a certain rank for a police or military officer. If you've been promoted to sergeant, congratulations are in order. Sergeant comes from the Old French sergent and originally from the Latin verb servire meaning "to serve," as in "to serve and protect," a police sergeant's job. Remember that sergeant is spelled with an "e" after the "s" (it's often misspelled with an "a").
Vocabulary lists containing sergeant
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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.
Annie Ramos, wife of Sergeant Matthew Blank, was held for five days before ICE released her.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
"I feel awesome. Relieved. Relieved," Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank told the New York Times after his wife's release.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Sergeant said he rarely made plans to see Maduro during his business trips, but the Venezuelan leader would ask him to stay an extra day to talk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Israel's military said Wednesday that the remains of two more hostages returned the day before from Gaza had been identified as those of Aryeh Zalmanovich and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar.
From Barron's • Oct. 22, 2025
Bull replaced the phone on the hook, smiled to himself in anticipation of the coming fracas, then bellowed for Sergeant Latito.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
