civil engineer

American  

noun

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

---

civil engineer British  

noun

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

---

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

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

"According to publications from the defence establishment, estimates speak of damage to between 25% and 40% of the tunnels," says Yehuda Kfir, an Israeli civil engineer and underground warfare researcher at Haifa's Technion University.

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025

A civil engineer, he approaches life with an analytical eye and rarely gets worked up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 17, 2025

So I told her about William Mulholland, who was a self-taught civil engineer.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith