The meaning of OFFICIAL is one who holds or is invested with an office : officer. How to use official in a sentence. Official definition: a person appointed or elected to an office or charged with certain duties.. See examples of OFFICIAL used in a sentence. An official language is one that is used by the government of a country when making its laws, in official documents, etc.: An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of their superior or employer, public or legally private). 1. a person appointed or elected to an office or charged with certain duties. 2. of or pertaining to an office or position of duty, trust, or authority: official powers. 3. appointed, authorized, or approved by a government or organization. 4. holding office. 5. public and formal; ceremonial. Official means approved by the government or by someone in authority. According to the official figures, over one thousand people died during the revolution. An official announcement is expected in the next few days. A report in the official police newspaper gave no reason for the move. Definition of official adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. of or relating to an office or to a position of duty, trust, or authority:[before a noun] official powers. appointed, authorized, recognized, or approved by a government or organization: an official flag. If something is official, it's authorized and approved by somebody. If Gatorade is the official drink of the Olympics, somebody with authority has signed some papers and a deal has been made. Sep 25, 2025 · official (comparative more official, superlative most official) Of or about an office or public trust.