official
noun
of·fi·cial
| \ É-Ëfi-shÉl
, Ć-\
, Ć-\
Definition of official
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: one who holds or is invested (see invest entry 2 sense 1) with an office : officer
government officials A company official responded to our request.
2
: one who administers the rules of a game or sport especially as a referee or umpire
a football official
official
adjectiveDefinition of official (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: of or relating to an office, position, or trust
official duties official documents
2
: holding an office : having authority
the president's official representative
3a
: authoritative, authorized
official statement an official biography
b
: prescribed or recognized as authorized
an official language
c
: described by the U.S. Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary
The official drug is sold under several trade names.
4
: befitting or characteristic of a person in office
extended an official greeting official condolences
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from official
Adjective
officially
\ É-Ëfi-sh(É-)lÄ
, Ć- \
adverb
, Ć- \
adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for official
Synonyms: Noun
functionary, officeholder, officer, public servant
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
nonofficial, unauthorized, unofficial, unsanctioned
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of official in a Sentence
Noun
She interviewed a senior official from the previous administration. A company official responded to our request.Adjective
She was accused of destroying official documents. Her illness did not prevent her from performing her official duties. The Vice President is on an official trip. We extended an official greeting to the ambassador.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
When combined with a 1.46 percent increase implemented by the San Diego County Water Authority, the total increase starting Sept. 1 will be 6.28 percent, city officials said. — Elizabeth Marie Himchak, Pomerado News, "Cityâs water rates go up on Sunday," 30 Aug. 2019 County officials said they were forced to make the cuts due to inadequate funding by the state for community corrections. — oregonlive, "Multnomah County commissioners approve $2.6 million in public safety cuts due to reduced state funding," 30 Aug. 2019 Axios stood by the story, which quoted unidentified officials and referred to a 2017 National Security Council memo said to have captured one conversation about bombing hurricanes. — Washington Post, "In 7 days of tweets, Trump lets the bedbugs bite," 29 Aug. 2019 The raises will help the district recruit and retain staff members, district officials said. — Elliott Lapin, Houston Chronicle, "Huffman ISD approves raises for all custodial workers," 29 Aug. 2019 An Illinois man died from lung problems linked to his e-cigarette use, state officials said. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "City of Milwaukee urges everyone who lives there to stop vaping immediately," 29 Aug. 2019 The study also shows that more than half of the people killed by red light-running drivers in 2017 â the last year statistics on such deaths are available â were in vehicles operated by non-offending drivers, AAA officials said. — Jesse Garza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "AAA cites state red light deaths, joins city campaign against reckless driving," 29 Aug. 2019 The primary challenge this year at Mayberry and throughout East Hartfordâs school district is reducing chronic absenteeism, school officials said. — Jordan Otero Sisson, courant.com, "Connecticut students, teachers head back to school Wednesday," 28 Aug. 2019 Santee officials say attendance has nearly tripled over the years and has grown to nearly 2,000. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Santeeâs annual bluegrass festival set for Sept. 14," 28 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Tickets for the game are, as ever, available on both teams' official club websites, though membership is required in order to purchase. — SI.com, "Villarreal vs Real Madrid: Where to Watch, Buy Tickets, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News," 30 Aug. 2019 Arctic explorer and British naval captain Sir John Franklin and about 130 crew members embarked on an official mission to chart the last stretch of the Northwest Passage across the Arctic. — Megan Gannon, Smithsonian, "Divers Get an Eerie First Look Inside the Arctic Shipwreck of the HMS Terror," 30 Aug. 2019 Isaak is a graduate of Portlandâs Lincoln High and was the first student to serve as an official non-voting member of the Portland school board. — oregonlive, "Kate Brown taps her top lawyer for seat on Oregon Court of Appeals," 30 Aug. 2019 They were given official release on The Authorized Bang Collection in 2017. — Tom Maxwell, Longreads, "Shelved: Van Morrisonâs Contractual Obligation Album," 29 Aug. 2019 This is a shift in official Arab postures towards Jews and Israel. — David Mednicoff, The Conversation, "Why increasing Arab-Israeli closeness matters," 29 Aug. 2019 Sophomore Jessica Brisner didn't see Sasha herself, but had noticed some suspiciously official-looking cars driving around, and had heard the rumors. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Sasha Obama Is Set to Attend the University of Michigan This Fall," 29 Aug. 2019 The official Ohio Lottery site offers more information on instant tickets, raffles & other lottery games. — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland.com, "Mega Millions winning numbers for 08/27/2019; jackpot $103 million," 27 Aug. 2019 Suddenly, travelers had to submit expressionless, zombie-like mugshots as official credentials. — Anne Quito, Quartzy, "An artist is turning boring passport photos into bizarre portraits," 27 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'official.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for official
official
noun
English Language Learners Definition of official
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a person who has a position of authority in a company, organization, or government : a person who holds an office
: a person (such as a referee or umpire) who makes sure that players are following the rules of a game
official
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of official (Entry 2 of 2)
: of or relating to the job or work of someone in a position of authority