bureaucrat

noun

bu·​reau·​crat ˈbyu̇r-ə-ˌkrat How to pronounce bureaucrat (audio)
ˈbyər-
: a member of a bureaucracy
government bureaucrats

Did you know?

In French, a bureau is a desk, so bureaucracy means basically "government by people at desks". Despite the bad-mouthing they often get, partly because they usually have to stick so close to the rules, bureaucrats do almost all the day-to-day work that keeps a government running. The idea of a bureaucracy is to split up the complicated task of governing a large country into smaller jobs that can be handled by specialists. Bureaucratic government is nothing new; the Roman empire had an enormous and complex bureaucracy, with the bureaucrats at lower levels reporting to bureaucrats above them, and so on up to the emperor himself.

Examples of bureaucrat in a Sentence

the bureaucrats at the town hall seem to think that we need a building permit to build a tree house
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.
Zelensky thanked at least 38 heads of state, former heads of state, bureaucrats, ministers, and other officials from 26 countries, quoting their statements of support. Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Mar. 2025 Prescriptive one-size-fits-all mandates authored by state and county bureaucrats only hinder the ability of teachers to use their gifts. Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025 In the second Trump Administration, a class of Silicon Valley leaders was insinuating itself into politics in a way that recalled one of Mimura’s primary subjects of study: the élite bureaucrats who seized political power and drove Japan into the Second World War. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025 The goal of this initiative — which introduced the concept of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing — was to use financial institutions to enforce policies favored by U.N. bureaucrats and progressive politicians, ... R. David McLean, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bureaucrat

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French bureaucrate, after bureaucratie — more at bureaucracy, -crat

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bureaucrat was in 1832

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bureaucrat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bureaucrat. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bureaucrat

noun
bu·​reau·​crat ˈbyu̇r-ə-ˌkrat How to pronounce bureaucrat (audio)
: a member of a bureaucracy

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