commissioner

commissioner — noun

1. a person who holds a position of authority to manage or oversee a specific gover

1.名詞B2
釋義

a person who holds a position of authority to manage or oversee a specific government department, public agency, or area of responsibility — for example, a police force, a trade office, or a housing authority.

例句

The city's health commissioner ordered all public schools to close during the flu outbreak.

collocation: health commissioner

Aiko was appointed as housing commissioner for the region last spring.

passive: appointed as + commissioner

同義詞
  • official

    broader term; any person with a public role, not necessarily a department head

  • director

    focuses on leading an organization rather than representing governmental authority

  • administrator

    emphasizes day-to-day management tasks rather than high-level policy authority

  • chief

    less formal; used in titles like police chief, but may not carry the same official rank

用法筆記

Commonly combined with a specific department or area before the title, e.g., police commissioner, health commissioner, trade commissioner.

常見錯誤

❌The commisioner approved the new budget.
✅The commissioner approved the new budget.
💡the word is spelled with double 's' and double 'm': commissioner.

2. in US professional sports, the person who holds the top administrative position

2.名詞B2
釋義

in US professional sports, the person who holds the top administrative position for a league — responsible for making rules, disciplining players or teams, and guiding the sport's overall direction.

例句

The baseball commissioner suspended the pitcher for breaking the league's rules.

collocation: baseball commissioner

Commissioner Nadia promised to make the women's soccer league more competitive.

同義詞
  • league president

    used in some non-US leagues; similar role but different title

  • chief executive

    focuses on business operations rather than rule-making and discipline

  • governor

    used for team representatives on league boards, not the top league head

用法筆記

This sense is specific to US sports leagues (e.g., MLB, NBA, NFL). In other countries, league heads are called league president, chief executive, or chairperson rather than commissioner.

常見錯誤

❌The commissioner of the English Premier League announced new rules.
✅The chief executive of the English Premier League announced new rules.
💡commissioner is the standard title only in US professional sports leagues; other countries use different titles.