Meaning & use
sergeant's
Last updated
“sergeant's” is a form of “sergeant”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounproper
Belonging to or associated with a sergeant (a military or police rank).
Grammar: Possessive form: used before a noun or alone. 'The sergeant's office' means the office of the sergeant.
Patterns
- the sergeant's something
- a sergeant's duties
- sergeant's orders
The sergeant's orders were clear: no one leaves the base.
She followed the sergeant's advice and stayed calm.
The sergeant's uniform was neatly pressed.
Word forms
| plural | sergeants |
|---|---|
| possessive plural | sergeants' |
Common combinations
- sergeant's orders
- The soldiers obeyed the sergeant's orders.
- sergeant's rank
- He was promoted to the sergeant's rank.
- sergeant's stripes
- The sergeant's stripes were visible on his sleeve.
Word family
- sergeant noun
- A military or police rank.
- sergeancy noun
- The rank or office of a sergeant.
Commonly confused: sergeant's or sargent?
sergeant's vs sargent
A common misspelling of 'sergeant'. The correct spelling is 'sergeant'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the possessive form correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sergeant's order' shows possession: the order belongs to the sergeant. Option An is wrong because 'sergeant's' cannot stand alone as a subject; option B is plural, not possessive; option D has the possessive in the wrong place.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sergeant's”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.