civil engineer

American  

noun

civil engineers plural

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

Derived Forms

• civil engineering
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• civil engineers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of civil engineer

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

civil engineer

"I woke up this morning and I didn't have to carry my ID anymore," Maria Jesus Walda, a 34-year-old civil engineer, told AFP as she headed into Gibraltar.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

David Wymer, a retired civil engineer from near Wolverhampton, who worked on bridge strikes across Staffordshire, said strikes were often likely caused by human error, but he believed there could be other contributing factors.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

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

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