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policeman

American  
[puh-lees-muhn] / pəˈlis mən /

noun

plural

policemen

  1. a member of a police force or body.

  2. Ice Hockey. enforcer.

policeman British  
/ pəˈliːsmən /

noun

  1. Gender-neutral form: police officer.  a member of a police force, esp one holding the rank of constable

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

  • policemanlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of policeman

First recorded in 1795–1805; police + -man

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Before the Islamic Revolution, in the days of the shah, Iran was known as "the policeman of the Gulf".

From BBC

"Two policemen were there. I knew it was Andrew. You hope against hope they're going to tell me he's in hospital."

From BBC

"I got taken in the office with a policeman and Mr Phillips was being all authoritative," Karen explains.

From BBC

A policeman’s visit to Sally’s house in an English village sets things spinning.

From The Wall Street Journal

The former policeman became emotional and paused momentarily at this point as he reflected on "young Noah".

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.