commissioner

noun

USkuh-MISH-uh-nur/kəˈmɪʃənɚ/UKkuh-MISH-uh-nuh/kəˈmɪʃənə/

Pluralcommissioners

4 meanings of commissioner

1
nouncountable
A senior official who leads a government department, often a police force.
Like the captain of a ship, but for a whole city department.
The police commissioner spoke to reporters after the arrest.
A new commissioner was chosen to run the health department.
Similarchief, head, director, superintendent
2
nouncountable
A person who is part of a group set up to do an official job.
Like a member of a team that makes decisions together.
Each commissioner voted on the new park plan.
The commissioners met every Monday to review the budget.
3
nouncountable
A person who is given the official job of doing certain tasks.
Like someone chosen to do a special job for a group.
The mayor named a commissioner to handle the housing project.
As commissioner, she made sure the election ran smoothly.
Similaragent, delegate, deputy, representative
4
nouncountable
A person who orders and pays for a work to be made.
The artist showed the first sketch to the commissioner, who had asked for a picture of her dog.
As the commissioner, she chose the colors for the new mural.
Similarpatron, client, sponsor

Practice

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Origin

It came from an old French word used in England, based on the Latin word behind "commission."