servants

word · lemma: servant

/ˈsɝvənts/
SUR-vuhnts
/sˈɜːvənts/
SUR-vuhnts

Definition

Servants are people who work in another person's house, doing jobs like cleaning, cooking, or helping the family. The word is often used for historical times or very formal households.

Usage & Nuances

In modern everyday English, 'servants' can sound old-fashioned, class-based, or historical. For present-day homes, people more often say 'housekeeper', 'maid', 'butler', 'nanny', or 'domestic worker'. Be careful: 'public servant' is a completely different meaning.

Example Sentences

The rich family had many servants in the large house.

basic

In the old story, the queen spoke to her servants.

basic

The servants prepared dinner before the guests arrived.

basic

The movie shows how the servants lived below stairs while the family lived upstairs.

natural

People forget that the servants in those mansions often worked incredibly long hours.

natural

When we talk about that era, we should remember that the servants had lives and families too.

natural