commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər 

: a person with a commission: such as

a

: a member of a commission

b

: the representative of the governmental authority in a district, province, or other unit often having both judicial and administrative powers

c

: the officer in charge of a department or bureau of the public service

d

: the administrative head of a professional sport

commissionership

kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of commissioner in a Sentence

The baseball commissioner decided to suspend the players for 10 games.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two men, tucked safely back into private life, shunned the event, as did all the county commissioners. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025

Caruso, a former DWP commissioner, blasted the city for infrastructure that struggled to meet firefighting demands. —Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025

The 2025 news cycle is off to a quick start, with disgruntled superstar athletes, a county commissioner tapped for a White House gig and a presidential honor for Inter Miami's Lionel Messi. —Martin Vassolo, Axios, 7 Jan. 2025

Seasoned producers and commissioners who spoke with Deadline point to the talents of those at the top. —Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "person empowered to carry out defined duties," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius, from commissiōn-, commissiō commission entry 1 + Latin -ārius -ary entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing commissioner

• high commissioner
• resident commissioner

Kids Definition

commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmish-(ə-)nər 

1

: a member of a commission

2

: an official in charge of a government department

Police Commissioner

Legal Definition

commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er

: a person with a commission: as

a

: a member of a commission

b

often capitalized : the officer in charge of a government agency

a police commissioner