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Definition of "publican" [pub•li•can]

  • Chiefly British The keeper of a public house or tavern. (noun)
  • A collector of public taxes or tolls in the ancient Roman Empire. (noun)
  • A collector of taxes or tribute from the public. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "publican" in a sentence
  • "I desired him: to prepare himself for a happier life, to acknowledge that he was a sinner, and to repent of his faults: and, happening to mention the publican, who acknowledged that he was a sinner, and asked God's mercy; he answered, '_I am that publican_.'"
  • "Nothing could further emphasize the sympathy of Jesus than his calling a publican to be his close companion and friend."
  • "Feeling bound to the monk by the service he had already done him, Brotteaux stepped up to him and made himself known as the publican who had stood beside him among the common herd, one day of great scarcity, and asked him if he could not be of some use to him."