sergeant
Americannoun
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a noncommissioned army officer of a rank above that of corporal.
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U.S. Air Force. any noncommissioned officer above the rank of airman first class.
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a police officer ranking immediately below a captain or a lieutenant in the U.S. and immediately below an inspector in Britain.
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a title of a particular office or function at the court of a monarch (often used in combination).
sergeant of the larder; sergeant-caterer.
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Also called sergeant at law. British. (formerly) a member of a superior order of barristers.
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(initial capital letter) a surface-to-surface, single-stage, U.S. ballistic missile.
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a tenant by military service, below the rank of knight.
noun
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a noncommissioned officer in certain armed forces, usually ranking above a corporal
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(in Britain) a police officer ranking between constable and inspector
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(in the US) a police officer ranking below a captain
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See sergeant at arms
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a court or municipal officer who has ceremonial duties
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(formerly) a tenant by military service, not of knightly rank
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See serjeant at law
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Explanation
Sergeant describes a certain rank for a police or military officer. If you've been promoted to sergeant, congratulations are in order. Sergeant comes from the Old French sergent and originally from the Latin verb servire meaning "to serve," as in "to serve and protect," a police sergeant's job. Remember that sergeant is spelled with an "e" after the "s" (it's often misspelled with an "a").
Vocabulary lists containing sergeant
American Troops Leave Iraq
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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.
Another soldier, a 49-year-old sergeant with the call sign Welder, said of the men in the unit: “We’ve been together for four years entirely, in great moments and bad moments.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
Last but not least, Thomas references a case about a deceased Air Force sergeant in Beck v.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released the wife of a US Army sergeant and Afghanistan veteran from detention, her lawyer confirmed to the BBC.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
"The sergeant at arms has confirmed that Senator Bato is no longer in the building," Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano told a news conference, using Dela Rosa's nickname.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
“Missis,” returned the gallant sergeant, “speaking for myself, I should reply, the honour and pleasure of his fine wife’s acquaintance; speaking for the king, I answer, a little job done.”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
