public servants

plural of public servant
1
as in officials
a person who holds a public office the new governor made a vow that he would always remember why he was called a public servant

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2
as in civil servants
a worker in a government agency concerned that the new federal agency would just add another slew of public servants to the government payroll

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of public servants The country’s public servants are disciplined, rules-driven, and professional. Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026 They’re managed in trust for us by these folks at an agency called the Forest Service, who are public servants, serving us, the public. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026 Using crowdsourcing techniques, VroniPlag Wiki in Germany and Dissernet in Russia have exposed numerous instances of plagiarism by public servants in their dissertations and academic publications. Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026 Women, especially in urban centers, worked as doctors, lawyers, judges, journalists, and public servants. Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026 But, at the heart of it is what appears to be a very ugly feud between two public servants. Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026 This blatant fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026 This blatant expression of fealty over objectivity perverts the process by choosing personal loyalists instead of independent public servants. Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 That perception damages public confidence and undermines the work of the many honest public servants who faithfully serve their communities. Amy Elik, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servants
Noun
  • By comparison, prior to Warsh taking office, officials averaged roughly 23 public appearances during the same two-week period following each Fed policy meeting since 2022.
    , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Bean urged officials to commit in writing that the library system will provide or fund legal representation for employees who may be targeted under Act 372.
    Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Other governments, including the US, have their own rules and disclosure requirements, but beyond the breadth of the controls in China, the sheer number of people affected is striking – and reaches far beyond civil servants.
    Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Partnership for Public Service, more than 200,000 civil servants left the federal workforce in 2025 through voluntary and involuntary separations aimed at reducing head count.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • After it was immobilized, the driver attempted to leave the vehicle and was apprehended by officers, according to NEA Report.
    Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Many reviews mention that representatives and loan officers are easy to reach, knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.
    Dan Simms, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images Two former Golden State Warriors employees have sued the NBA franchise, alleging gender, age and race-based discrimination, workplace harassment and retaliation tied to their terminations.
    Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • As a correspondent for the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Akiyama was chosen out of his 162 fellow employees who applied to fly to space in celebration of the network’s 40th anniversary.
    Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The bureaucrats who failed to prevent the fraud often remain anonymous.
    Sreedhar Potarazu, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
  • America’s goal should be more cures, more treatment options and better care, not fewer innovations dictated by Washington bureaucrats.
    Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Their crabs are steamed, frozen and packed into boxes to be shipped to Sri Lanka, where workers remove the meat by hand.
    ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The payrolls processing firm said firms added 38,000 workers, fewer than the upwardly revised 46,000 in July and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 47,000.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Public servants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servants. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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