commissar

noun

com·​mis·​sar ˈkä-mə-ˌsär How to pronounce commissar (audio)
1
a
: a Communist party official assigned to a military unit to teach party principles and policies and to ensure party loyalty
b
: one that attempts to control public opinion or its expression
2
: the head of a government department in the Soviet Union until 1946

Examples of commissar in a Sentence

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.
In July 2023, Beijing appointed a PLA Navy deputy commander as the Rocket Force's new commander and an Air Force officer as its new political commissar. Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024 As the chief political commissar of the PLA, Miao is tasked with ensuring its loyalty to the ruling Communist Party. Nectar Gan, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024 He was appointed the political commissar of the PLA Navy in 2014, overlapping with the time Dong served as the deputy chief of staff of the Navy. Steven Jiang, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024 Now imagine the people who know how to do this routine stuff are either thrown out of office or put under the thumbs of political commissars. Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commissar 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Russian komissar, borrowed from German Kommissar, earlier Commissar "person delegated to perform an office, commissioner" borrowed from Medieval Latin commissārius commissary

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of commissar was in 1921

Dictionary Entries Near commissar

Cite this Entry

“Commissar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commissar. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

commissar

noun
com·​mis·​sar ˈkäm-ə-ˌsär How to pronounce commissar (audio)
1
: a Communist party official who enforces loyalty in a military unit
2
: a government department head in the U.S.S.R. until 1946

More from Merriam-Webster on commissar

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