sergeant

[ sahr-juh nt ]

/ ˈsɑr dʒənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sergeant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.

U.S. Air Force. any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.

a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.

a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination): sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.

sergeant at arms.

Also called sergeant at law. British. (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.

sergeantfish.

(initial capital letter) a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.

a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.

Nearby words

serenity, sereth, serevent, serf, serge, sergeant, sergeant at arms, sergeant at law, sergeant baker, sergeant first class, sergeant major

Also especially British, ser·jeant (for defs 1–7, 9).

Origin of sergeant

1150–1200; Middle English sergant, serjant, serjaunt < Old French sergent < Latin servient- (stem of serviēns), present participle of servīre. See serve, -ent

Related forms

ser·gean·cy

[sahr-juh n-see] /ˈsɑr dʒən si/, ser·geant·ship, noun

Definition for sergeant (2 of 2)

York

[ yawrk ]

/ yɔrk /

noun

a member of the royal house of England that ruled from 1461 to 1485.

1st Duke ofEdmund of Langley, 1341–1402, progenitor of the house of York (son of Edward III).

Alvin Cul·lum

[kuhl-uh m] /ˈkʌl əm/Sergeant, 1887–1964, U.S. soldier.

Yorkshire(def 1).

Ancient Eboracum. a city in North Yorkshire, in NE England, on the Ouse: the capital of Roman Britain; cathedral.

a city in SE Pennsylvania: meeting of the Continental Congress 1777–78.

an estuary in E Virginia, flowing SE into Chesapeake Bay. 40 miles (64 km) long.

Cape, a cape at the NE extremity of Australia.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sergeant

“Stay in formation,” a sergeant from the ceremonial unit said over a public address system to the cops along the street.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A squad soon arrived to take him away, and I saw the sergeant punch him in the face even though he went quietly.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One sergeant is quoted saying that Garner “did not appear to be in great distress.”
The Gentle Giant Cut Down by Cops|Michael Daly|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The contemporary Luz James, a military brat, lives with her sergeant mother.
This Week’s Hot Reads: July 7, 2014|Samantha Levine|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A sergeant from the Directorate General of Prisons, Mina Olmedo, was shot and killed, and eleven other guards were badly injured.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even our sergeant, who helped during the night, took a comrade off in the morning and disappeared.
My War Experiences in Two Continents|Sarah Macnaughtan
A sergeant came out with a little packet which he handed to Martin.
One Man's Initiation--1917|John Dos Passos
Rawdon and Lowndes had hardly got away on the train when Sergeant Stowell and his party came searching.
Lanier of the Cavalry|Charles King
I have received five wounds in the service and was made corporal and sergeant on the field of battle.
Military Career of Napoleon the Great|Montgomery B. Gibbs
Dick was at the head of the column with Colonel Winchester and the sergeant.
The Rock of Chickamauga|Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for sergeant (1 of 4)

sergeant

/ (ˈsɑːdʒənt) /

noun

a noncommissioned officer in certain armed forces, usually ranking above a corporal

(in Britain) a police officer ranking between constable and inspector
(in the US) a police officer ranking below a captain

See sergeant at arms

a court or municipal officer who has ceremonial duties

(formerly) a tenant by military service, not of knightly rank

See serjeant at law

Also: serjeant

Derived Forms

sergeancy (ˈsɑːdʒənsɪ) or sergeantship, noun

Word Origin for sergeant

C12: from Old French sergent, from Latin serviēns, literally: serving, from servīre to serve

British Dictionary definitions for sergeant (2 of 4)

york

/ (jɔːk) /

verb

(tr) cricket to bowl or try to bowl (a batsman) by pitching the ball under or just beyond the bat

Word Origin for york

C19: back formation from yorker

British Dictionary definitions for sergeant (3 of 4)

York

/ (jɔːk) /

noun

a historic city in NE England, in York unitary authority, North Yorkshire, on the River Ouse: the military capital of Roman Britain; capital of the N archiepiscopal province of Britain since 625, with a cathedral (the Minster) begun in 1154; noted for its cycle of medieval mystery plays; unusually intact medieval walls; university (1963). Pop: 137 505 (2001)Latin name: Eboracum

a unitary authority in NE England, in North Yorkshire. Pop: 183 100 (2003 est). Area: 272 sq km (105 sq miles)

Cape York a cape in NE Australia, in Queensland at the N tip of the Cape York Peninsula, extending into the Torres Strait: the northernmost point of Australia

British Dictionary definitions for sergeant (4 of 4)

York

/ (jɔːk) /

noun

the English royal house that reigned from 1461 to 1485 and was descended from Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York (1411–60), whose claim to the throne precipitated the Wars of the Roses. His sons reigned as Edward IV and Richard III

Alvin C (ullum). 1887–1964, US soldier and hero of World War I

Duke of, full name Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of York and Albany . 1763–1827, second son of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. An undistinguished commander-in-chief of the British army (1798–1809), he is the "grand old Duke of York" of the nursery rhyme

Prince Andrew, Duke of. born 1960, second son of Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He married (1986) Miss Sarah Ferguson; they divorced in 1996; their first daughter, Princess Beatrice of York, was born in 1988 and their second, Princess Eugenie of York, in 1990

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