official
official
/əˈfɪʃl/
1 usually before noun agreed to, said, done, etc. by somebody who is in a position of authority an official announcement/decision/statement
according to official figures/statistics
The news is not yet official.
the official biography of the President
An official inquiry has been launched into the cause of the accident.
The country's official language is Spanish.
The film's official website is also very informative.
I intend to lodge an official complaint (= to complain to somebody in authority).
2 only before noun connected with the job of somebody who is in a position of authority official duties/responsibilities
the Prime Minister’s official residence
He attended in his official capacity as mayor.
This was her first official engagement.
He made an official visit to Tokyo in March.
an official function/reception
The official opening is planned for October.
I only knew the official version of events.
The official line is that the date for the election has not yet been decided.
The official story has always been that they are just good friends.
Idioms
official
/əˈfɪʃl/
(often in compounds) a person who is in a position of authority in a large organization
She is the government official in charge of the project.
a senior official in the State Department
a bank/company/court official
The newspaper quoted an unnamed FBI official as saying:…
according to an official This is still one of its top sellers, according to company officials.
Collocations
adjective
verb + official
appoint (somebody)
consult
consult with
Word Origin
Middle English (originally as a noun): via Old French from Latin officialis, from officium ‘performance of a task’ (in medieval Latin also ‘office, divine service’), based on opus ‘work’ + facere ‘do’.