Sergeant Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms sergeant American [sahr-juhnt] / ˈsɑr dʒənt / especially British, serjeant

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 sergeant 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 British / 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

"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

Other Word Forms

• sergeancy noun
• sergeantship noun

Etymology

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

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.

Then—bang—Mr. Irmis was asking for my pencil, which he might as well have broken over his knee the way the French sergeant broke the sword of Alfred Dreyfus.

From The Wall Street Journal

A fifth officer, a sergeant, arrived and informed detectives that Moran was refusing a medical exam and treatment, according to the police report.

From Los Angeles Times

The overburdened sergeant rarely gets more than two hours of uninterrupted sleep.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said the officer, who had recently been promoted to sergeant, continued to fire even after being struck by a bullet and bleeding from his head.

From Los Angeles Times

When Lai was eventually rotated out of the presidential-offices detail and risked losing access to lucrative intelligence, he recruited another sergeant and a corporal in his battalion to take over.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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

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.