What does "sergeant" mean?
A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
Sergeant
/ˈsɑɹ.d͡ʒənt/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
- Grammar: sergeant is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: acting corporal, acting sergeant, atlas, bailiff.
- Useful contrasts: civilian, commissioned officer, cornets.
- Usage evidence: He rose to the rank of sergeant.
How to use "sergeant"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sergeant" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sergeant" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sergeant" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sergeant" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sergeant" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acting corporal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sergeant", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A UK army rank with NATO code OR-6, senior to corporal and junior to warrant officer ranks.
- 2 a lawman with the rank of sergeant wordnet
- 3 The highest rank of noncommissioned officer in some non-naval military forces and police.
"“Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant."
- 4 any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal wordnet
- 5 A lawyer of the highest rank, equivalent to the doctor of civil law. historical
"All other sergeants and barristers indiscriminately (except in the Court of Common Pleas, where only sergeants are admitted) may take upon them the protection and defense of any suitors."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 an English barrister of the highest rank wordnet
- 7 A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign. UK, historical
"sergeant surgeon, i.e. a servant, or attendant, surgeon"
- 8 A bailiff.
- 9 A servant in monastic offices.
- 10 A fish, the píntano (Abudefduf saxatilis), a species of damselfish.
- 11 Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Athyma; distinct from the false sergeants.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation for a servant.
- 2 A township in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"He rose to the rank of sergeant."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sergeant"?
Common synonyms include: acting corporal, acting sergeant, atlas, bailiff, beadle, beagle.
How do you use "sergeant" in a sentence?
He rose to the rank of sergeant.
How do you pronounce "sergeant"?
Pronounced /ˈsɑɹ.d͡ʒənt/.
Etymology
From Middle English sergeant, sergeaunt, serjent, serjaunt, serjawnt, sergant, from Old French sergeant, sergent, serjant, sergient, sergant (“sergeant, servant”), from Medieval Latin servientem, accusative of serviēns (“a servant, vassal, soldier, apparitor”), from Latin serviēns (“serving”), present participle of serviō (“serve, be a slave to”). Doublet of servant and servient. The shift from /vj/ > /dʒ/ was a regular development in Old French. Compare cavea > cage, salvia > sage. The fish is so called because of its stripes, supposed to resemble a sergeant's insignia of rank. The pronunciation with /ɑɹ/ is due to a widespread development of Middle English er + consonant (see barn, start etc.). In sergeant, the spelling was standardised in one way, the pronunciation in another (compare clerk, derby in Commonwealth English, further parson vs. person, and varsity vs. university).