An Officer Is Anyone Who Holds an Office
An officer holds a position of authority. The word covers armed forces, police, companies and charities, because it simply means office-holder.
An officer is someone holding an office — a position with duties and authority. That is why the word stretches so far: army officers, police officers, customs officers, company officers and the honorary officers of a small club all hold offices, and all are officers in exactly the same sense.
- A person with authority in the armed forces. *A commissioned officer.*
- A police officer. *Officers attended the scene.*
- A holder of a position in an organisation. *The society's officers.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | officer | A senior officer. |
| Plural | officers | Two officers. |
| Related | office | He holds office. |
| Related | official | An official statement. |
| Related | commission | A royal commission. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Officers were called to the address.Police use.
- She was commissioned as an officer in 2014.Armed forces.
- The club elects its officers each spring.Chair, secretary, treasurer.
Officer or official?
- Officer — holds a defined office, often uniformed
- Official — a person carrying out an organisation's business
- Officious — interfering and self-important; a false friend
- Commissioned officer — holds a commission from the state
- Non-commissioned officer — promoted from the ranks
From Old French *officier*, from Latin *officium*, a service or duty, from *opus*, work, and *facere*, to do. An office was originally a duty, not a room.
Officer or official?
An officer holds a specific office with authority. An official is anyone acting for an organisation. All officers are officials; not all officials are officers.
What does *officious* mean?
Interfering and overbearing about small matters. It is unrelated in tone to official, and never a compliment.