civil engineer

American  

noun

1. a person who designs public works, as roads, bridges, canals, dams, and harbors, or supervises their construction or maintenance.

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civil engineer British  

noun

1. a person qualified to design, construct, and maintain public works, such as roads, bridges, harbours, etc

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Other Word Forms

• civil engineering
  noun

Etymology

Origin of civil engineer

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

An immigrant from Colombia, he works as a civil engineer specializing in bridge construction, and was deemed to “perform services of exceptional merit and ability” by the federal government.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2026

Kathryn Masters, a civil engineer, said the rally was her first “No Kings” event.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

A former deputy prime minister and home minister, Lamichhane has formed an alliance with former Kathmandu mayor Balendra "Balen" Shah, 35 -- a rapper and civil engineer with a considerable online following.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

That committee is made up of supposedly technocratic, apolitical Palestinians, led by Dr Ali Shaath, a civil engineer by training who's held ministerial positions in the Palestinian Authority.

From BBC • Jan. 17, 2026

It had probably been designed by a self-taught civil engineer, which may have accounted for the absence of all those expected molecules of water.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith