sergeant

[ sahr-juhnt ]

noun

1. a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.
2. U.S. Air Force. any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.
3. a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.
4. a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination):

   sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.

5. sergeant at arms.
6. Also called sergeant at law. British. (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.
7. sergeantfish.
8. (initial capital letter) a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.
9. a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.

sergeant

/ ˈsɑːdʒənsɪ; ˈsɑːdʒənt /

noun

1. a noncommissioned officer in certain armed forces, usually ranking above a corporal
2. 1. (in Britain) a police officer ranking between constable and inspector
   2. (in the US) a police officer ranking below a captain
3. See sergeant at arms
4. a court or municipal officer who has ceremonial duties
5. (formerly) a tenant by military service, not of knightly rank
6. See serjeant at law

Derived Forms

• sergeancy, noun

Other Words From

• ser·gean·cy [sahr, -j, uh, n-see], sergeant·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sergeant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sergeant¹

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

Example Sentences

The sergeant told me that without the actual phone they’d struggle to make progress.

From BBC

Nicola went through their burial reports, and found just one man had been buried wearing sergeant stripes from the Gloucester Regiment, as well as one major.

From BBC

An ex-police sergeant who was banned from every Morrisons store in the UK after being wrongly accused of shoplifting has called for an apology.

From BBC

“In the bigger picture, the war isn’t going anywhere,” said Serhiy, a Ukrainian marine sergeant serving on the southern front lines.

From Los Angeles Times

Stewart recalled her father watching over her and her siblings like “a sergeant.”

From Salon

Related Words

• agent
• informer
• police officer
• private eye
• private investigator
• prosecutor
• reporter
• sleuth
• spy