servant

noun

ser·​vant ˈsər-vənt How to pronounce servant (audio)
Synonyms of servantnext
: one that serves others
a public servant
especially : one that performs duties for another as a personal or domestic attendant
servanthood
ˈsər-vənt-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce servant (audio)
noun
servantless adjective

Synonyms of servant

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of servant in a Sentence

the wealthy family had servants to clean and cook for them
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.
The film also features Odysseus’ servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) and Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, the Greek king of Sparta. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026 Lawyers are, in his formulation, both loyal servants of their clients and public citizens with special responsibility for the quality of justice. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Leguizamo plays Odysseus' devoted servant and swineherd Eumaeus. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026 The couple luxuriated in a 25-room mansion in Hartford, Connecticut, staffed by six servants. — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for servant

Word History

Etymology

Middle English servant, sarvaunt "person serving a master or lord, retainer, attendant," borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative from past participle of servir "to be in attendance on, serve entry 1"

Note: Compare sergeant.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of servant was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing servant

Rhymes for servant

See All Rhymes for servant

Browse Nearby Words

servaline
servant
servantless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/servant. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

servant

noun
ser·​vant ˈsər-vənt How to pronounce servant (audio)
: one that serves others
especially : a person hired to perform household or personal services
Etymology

Middle English servant "servant," from early French servant (same meaning), from a form of servir "to serve," from Latin servire "to be a slave, serve," from servus "slave, servant" — related to serf

Legal Definition

servant

noun
ser·​vant
: a person who serves others: as
a
: an individual who performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer
b
: a person in the employ and subject to the direction or control of an individual or company see also respondeat superior compare agent, master

More from Merriam-Webster on servant

Nglish: Translation of servant for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of yaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All