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Definition of officer noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

officer

noun
 
 
/ˈɒfɪsə(r)/
 
/ˈɑːfɪsər/
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  1.  
     a person who is in a position of authority in the armed forces or on a ship
    • army/military/naval officers
    • senior officers in the Royal Air Force
    • The matter was passed on to me, as your commanding officer.
    • He's a retired army intelligence officer.
    Wordfinder
    see also air officer, commissioned officer, duty officer, first officer, flight officer, flying officer, petty officer, pilot officer, second officer, staff officer, warrant officer
    Extra Examples
    • The decision rests with the ranking officer.
    • a former army officer who served in Iraq
    • the officer commanding the infantry
    • to salute a superior officer
    • The military academy trains officers for technical service in the army.
    • On Christmas Eve 1914 officers and soldiers put down their weapons to share wine and food.
    Topics War and conflicta2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • air-force
    • army
    • military
    • …
    verb + officer
    • salute
    officer + verb
    • command something
    • serve
    officer + noun
    • corps
    • cadet
    • candidate
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     (often used as a form of address)
    (also police officer)
    a member of the police
    • the officer in charge of the case
    • the investigating officer
    • Yes, officer, I saw what happened.
    • Officers arrested five suspects after a raid last night.
    see also peace officer
    Extra Examples
    • Two uniformed officers attended the scene of the accident.
    • 100 officers swooped on various south Essex locations.
    • We spoke to the duty officer at the police station.
    • Officers raided an address in the Pittsburgh area.
    • Drug squad officers raided a warehouse near Heathrow.
    • The budget will pay for 200 extra police community support officers.
    • A team of undercover officers was deployed inside the club to catch the dealers.
    • The panel included law enforcement officers such as police and sheriffs.
    Topics Law and justicea2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • chief
    • senior
    • superior
    • …
    officer + verb
    • investigate something
    • patrol something
    • raid something
    • …
    See full entry
  3. (North American English) a title for a police officer
    • Officer Dibble
    Topics Law and justicea2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • chief
    • senior
    • superior
    • …
    officer + verb
    • investigate something
    • patrol something
    • raid something
    • …
    See full entry
  4.  
     (often in compounds) a person who is in a position of authority in the government or a large organization
    • an environmental health officer
    • a customs/prison/welfare officer
    • officers of state (= ministers in the government)
    • He was a former officer in the Secret Service.
    see also chief executive officer, chief financial officer, field officer, house officer, liaison officer, medical officer, nursing officer, presiding officer, press officer, probation officer, returning officer
    Extra Examples
    • Trading standards officers seized a large number of fake goods.
    • If you're concerned, you should go to a student welfare officer to discuss the problem.
    • All directors and other senior officers of the company will have a vote.
    • The corporation has shareholders, officers and board members.
    • airport security officers
    • The company's chief financial officer denied that the company had misled its shareholders.
    • Local council officers met to discuss the proposals.
    • They need to see the planning officer's report before commenting publicly.
    • The cooperative has elected the following officers to serve on the board of directors.
    • She owed a vast sum of money, and the sheriff's officers arrived to confiscate the family property.
    Topics Jobsa2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • chief
    • principal
    • senior
    • …
    verb + officer
    • be
    • work as
    • become
    • …
    See full entry
    5. Word OriginMiddle English: via Anglo-Norman French from medieval Latin officiarius, from Latin officium ‘performance of a task’ (in medieval Latin also ‘office, divine service’), based on opus ‘work’ + facere ‘do’.
See officer in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee officer in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: officer

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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