officer
Americannoun
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a person who holds a position of rank or authority in the army, navy, air force, or any similar organization, especially one who holds a commission.
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a member of a police department or a constable.
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a person licensed to take full or partial responsibility for the operation of a merchant ship or other large civilian ship; a master or mate.
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a person appointed or elected to some position of responsibility or authority in the government, a corporation, a society, etc.
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(in some honorary orders) a member of any rank except the lowest.
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Obsolete. an agent.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish with officers.
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to command or direct as an officer does.
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to direct, conduct, or manage.
noun
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a person in the armed services who holds a position of responsibility, authority, and duty, esp one who holds a commission
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See police officer
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(on a non-naval ship) any person including the captain and mate, who holds a position of authority and responsibility
radio officer
engineer officer
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a person appointed or elected to a position of responsibility or authority in a government, society, etc
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a government official
a customs officer
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(in the Order of the British Empire) a member of the grade below commander
verb
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to furnish with officers
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to act as an officer over (some section, group, organization, etc)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of officer
1275–1325; Middle English < Anglo-French; Middle French officier < Medieval Latin officiārius, equivalent to Latin offici ( um ) office + -ārius -ary; see -er 2, -ier 2
Explanation
An officer is someone who works for a police force or has a high position in the military. Police officers in some towns and cities patrol on bikes, or occasionally even on horseback. You might see police officers patrolling in your neighborhood, or guarding a bank, or inspecting bags in a train station. Military officers hold a high rank, and they issue commands to lower-ranking service members, and an officer is also the commander of a military ship. Another kind of officer is simply "a person who holds an office," which can mean an elected position or a senior job at a company, like a "chief executive officer," or CEO.
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.
“Too often, we’re cluttered, out of stock, or even transactional,” Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer said at the investor meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Her commanding officer described Sullivan - known as "Sully" to her friends - as a "fearless and gifted horsewoman".
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Marc Merrill, co-founder, co-chairman and chief product officer of L.A.-based video game developer and e-sports company Riot Games, gave the maximum to Mahan, as did his wife, Ashley, founder of the sleepwear brand Lunya.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Melissa Grant, Carafem’s chief operations officer, said the past few years of chaos in U.S. abortion regulations prepared the organization to be nimble when the need arose.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
It was Rolf van Vliet, the officer who had been here when our ration cards were first delivered.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
