sergeant

noun

ser·​geant ˈsär-jənt How to pronounce sergeant (audio)
Synonyms of sergeantnext
1
: sergeant at arms
2
obsolete : an officer who enforces the judgments of a court or the commands of one in authority
3
: a noncommissioned officer ranking in the army and marine corps above a corporal and below a staff sergeant
broadly : noncommissioned officer
4
: an officer in a police force ranking in the U.S. just below captain or sometimes lieutenant and in England just below inspector

Examples of sergeant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Police attempted to stop him when Olson pushed a sergeant and drove away. —Landon Mion, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2024 Department officials have launched a probe into allegations that the officer, perhaps working with others, cheated on a sergeant’s exam this year. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024 In a courtyard at the county government complex in Redwood City, the unions representing local sheriff’s deputies and sergeants urged Sheriff Christina Corpus to investigate claims of a toxic workplace and bring management to the negotiating table over the labor disagreements. —Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024 The extra hours helped dozens of patrol officers and sergeants take home more money than the police chief but left them feeling overworked, according to the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police and IMPD. —Michael McDaniel, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sergeant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sergeant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sergeaunt, seriaunt, sergaunt, sargeaunt "servant, attendant, foot soldier, officer of a town, a court, or the royal household, holder of a sergeancy," borrowed from Anglo-French (also continental Old French sergant), going back to early Medieval Latin servient-, serviens "servant," going back to Latin, present participle of serviō, servīre "to perform duties for (a master) in the capacity of a slave, serve entry 1"

Note: The word sergeant is in effect a doublet of servant, both ultimately descending from the present participle of Latin servīre. The two words are already distinct in some manuscripts of the eleventh-century Old French Vie de saint Alexis, with sergant referring to a trusted servant of a noble household, servant simply to one serving God. The usual pronunciation of English sergeant exemplifies the late Middle English change of /ɛr/ to /ar/ before a consonant, which is not reflected in the standard spelling.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sergeant was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing sergeant

Dictionary Entries Near sergeant

sergeancy

sergeant

sergeant at arms

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Sergeant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sergeant. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

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Kids Definition

sergeant

noun
ser·​geant ˈsär-jənt How to pronounce sergeant (audio)
1
: a military noncommissioned officer with any of the ranks above corporal in the army or the marines or above airman first class in the air force
especially : an enlisted person with the rank just below that of staff sergeant
2
: a police officer ranking in the U.S. just below captain or sometimes lieutenant
Etymology

Middle English sergeant "sergeant, attendant, servant," from early French sergent, serjant (same meaning), from Latin servient-, serviens, a form of the verb servire "to serve"

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