sergeant

noun

ser·​geant ˈsär-jənt How to pronounce sergeant (audio)
1
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
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
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.
The detective approached Becker and identified himself as an on-duty Indianapolis Metropolitan Police sergeant. Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Oct. 2024 According to the affidavit, Anthony joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 2006 and retired as a sergeant from the agency in August of this year. Nicole Acosta, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 Posted by Orange County Sheriff's Office, Florida on Friday, October 18, 2024 Anthony Shea joined the Orange County Sheriff's Office in 2006 and resigned from his position as sergeant earlier this year. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2024 Inside Randle’s backpack, a corrections sergeant allegedly found the peanut butter jar, but there wasn’t anything creamy or chocolatey inside. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sergeant 

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

Dictionary Entries Near sergeant

Cite this Entry

“Sergeant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sergeant. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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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