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elder statesman
noun
: an eminent senior member of a group or organization
especially
: a retired statesman who unofficially advises current leaders
Examples of elder statesman in a Sentence
an elder statesman of baseball coaches
the elder statesman of the White House correspondents is finally retiring after nearly a half century of service
Recent Examples on the Web
Though none of the three elder statesmen is capable of capturing his Cy Young form, all three are certain to land jobs as back-of-the-rotation starters.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Compared with these selections, Ratcliffe looks like an elder statesman, and he has essentially been anointed: The Senate will almost certainly confirm him, which will make Ratcliffe the only person ever to have served as both the DNI and the director of the CIA.
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025
But rather than discard the 39th president in damnatio memoriae, Carter's decades-long post-presidency proved fertile ground for his rehabilitation as an elder statesman.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
Coates was an elder statesman of sorts in the Oath Keepers, a 73-year-old Vietnam veteran with a Hulk Hogan mustache.
—Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for elder statesman
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Word History
First Known Use
1904, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near elder statesman
Cite this Entry
“Elder statesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elder%20statesman. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Kids Definition
elder statesman
noun
: a respected older member of a group or organization
especially
: a retired statesman who gives advice to current leaders
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