civil servant
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of civil servant
First recorded in 1790–1800
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.
"I probably wouldn't have come if the shuttle bus didn't drop us off here, but otherwise, it's nice," added the civil servant, wearing his country's white jersey.
From Barron's • Jun. 27, 2026
The former civil servant said as a result of slow decision-making, she believed that Northern Ireland should have a number of metro mayors, like in England, with more authority to take regional decisions.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
Simon Case, the UK's highest-ranking civil servant from 2020 to 2024, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that political upheaval also "costs us money" by driving up borrowing costs.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026
Retired senior civil servant Youssou Diallo told AFP he believed "will not be able to block government action... At most, he could slow it down."
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
My father liked to think I was a civil servant.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
