servant
Americannoun
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servants
plural
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a person employed by another, especially to perform domestic duties.
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a person in the service of another.
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a person employed by the government.
a public servant.
noun
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a person employed to work for another, esp one who performs household duties
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See public servant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of servant
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French, noun use of present participle of servir to serve; see -ant
Explanation
A servant works at someone’s home, often doing lowly tasks. You might feel like a servant when your mom insists that you do the dishes before you can do anything fun, but think how she feels cooking dinner every day! If you’re a servant, you serve someone else. In that 1930s mystery novel, chances are the rich family had servants to set the table and do the laundry. Nowadays, calling someone who does those things a servant has an insulting connotation. If you think your hard work gets no respect, you might feel like a servant. But people who work for the government like to be called "public servants," because they serve the good of public and not themselves.
Vocabulary lists containing servant
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.
See Examples For:
But Victoria defied him the moment she came of age, insisting that Conroy was “neither my servant, nor adviser, nor ever was.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
As Marzio sang his only aria, summoning Farnace to war, he changed his outfit, making Farnace hand him armor pieces like a servant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The US military presence will remain a major issue for Koja, a former civil servant who was also a deputy mayor of Naha, the region's capital city.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
She said the changes proposed by the government were "directly as a result" of a review by former top civil servant Philip Rycroft, published on 25 March.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
After a few initial sessions, Isaac, Amy, their living children, and a servant, “our little Dutch girl,” were regular attendees.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
“As we honor him tonight, we also call on public employers to listen to their employees’ safety concerns and take meaningful action to protect the public servants who keep our communities moving.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
In India, civil servants are responsible for many services people rely on every day, from issuing documents to policing, food safety and healthcare.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
And one of the most often-discussed potential growth opportunities for the industry, humanoid household servants, is at least 10 to 20 years away, Hurst said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Survivors, including tens of thousands of residents, non-emergency civil servants, commuters and students, have to display symptoms first.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Margaret, who went by Peggy, also did sewing for the servants who were part of General Washington’s household, and records show her receiving pay from October 1776 until April 1779.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
