commissioner

noun

Synonyms of commissionernext
: a person with a commission: such as
a
: a member of a commission
b
: the representative of the governmental authority in a district, province, or other unit often having both judicial and administrative powers
c
: the officer in charge of a department or bureau of the public service
d
: the administrative head of a professional sport

Examples of commissioner in a Sentence

The baseball commissioner decided to suspend the players for 10 games.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Where the rest of the writing team really came in, during the uncharacteristically 30-minute long segment, was working on a last minute bit in the back half where Kimmel speaks to an FCC commissioner played by Oscar winner Robert De Niro. Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026 Local mayors and commissioners sought him out, from Hallandale Beach to Plantation to Tamarac. Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026 If the proposal moves forward, county commissioners would first need to approve placing the measure on the ballot. Noah Daly august 13, Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2026 Photograph of Natalie Hall, former Fulton commissioner who's running for District 4. Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commissioner

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "person empowered to carry out defined duties," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius, from commissiōn-, commissiō commission entry 1 + Latin -ārius -ary entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of commissioner was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Commissioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commissioner. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

commissioner

noun
1
: a member of a commission
2
: an official in charge of a government department
Police Commissioner

Legal Definition

commissioner

noun
com·​mis·​sion·​er
: a person with a commission: as
a
: a member of a commission
b
often capitalized : the officer in charge of a government agency
a police commissioner

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