Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for public servant. Search instead for public+servant.
Synonyms

public servant

American  

noun

  1. a person holding a government office or job by election or appointment; person in public service.

public servant British  

noun

  1. an elected or appointed holder of a public office

  2. British equivalent: civil servant.  a member of the public service

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of public servant

First recorded in 1670–80

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.

The obscure law bans a person from soliciting or receiving nonpublic information from a public servant by means of their office or employment with the intent to obtain a benefit.

From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026

But it’s important to have Smith on the record — and for the country to see him as the sober, serious public servant he is.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026

"How am I gonna eat?" the 74-year-old public servant asked bitterly.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

The arrested suspect is the son of a former public servant.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025

Mother said it was the height of rudeness for a public servant with privileged knowledge to pry, and for once I had to agree with her.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

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.