servant
Americannoun
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a person employed by another, especially to perform domestic duties.
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a person in the service of another.
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a person employed by the government.
a public servant.
noun
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a person employed to work for another, esp one who performs household duties
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See public servant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of servant
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French, noun use of present participle of servir to serve; see -ant
Explanation
A servant works at someone’s home, often doing lowly tasks. You might feel like a servant when your mom insists that you do the dishes before you can do anything fun, but think how she feels cooking dinner every day! If you’re a servant, you serve someone else. In that 1930s mystery novel, chances are the rich family had servants to set the table and do the laundry. Nowadays, calling someone who does those things a servant has an insulting connotation. If you think your hard work gets no respect, you might feel like a servant. But people who work for the government like to be called "public servants," because they serve the good of public and not themselves.
Vocabulary lists containing servant
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.
He said that, as a public servant, he has always been transparent, responsible and followed the law.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Retired senior civil servant Youssou Diallo told AFP he believed "will not be able to block government action... At most, he could slow it down."
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
But if we possess an intrinsic dignity that transcends utility, efficiency and economic value, if we are distinct from machines, then technology can remain servant rather than master.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
Seymour made no apologies for selling himself as a public servant while simultaneously seeking more power.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
His grandmother, a cook known as Old Doll, was a Custis servant who had come to Mount Vernon with Martha.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
