policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən 

1

: a member of a police force

2

: one held to resemble a policeman

making the United States the policeman for the whole wide world

—R. B. Long

Synonyms

• bobby [British]
• bull [slang]
• constable [chiefly British]
• cop
• copper
• flatfoot [slang]
• fuzz
• gendarme
• lawman
• officer
• police officer
• shamus [slang]

Examples of policeman in a Sentence

reported the crime to the nearest policeman

Recent Examples on the Web

The comedy that launches the action—J’s meet-cute with a woman called Parm (Karen Black) while stealing her car—soon curdles into cruel absurdity as policemen (Ed Madsen and a young Robert De Niro) force J to become an informant. —Marina Harss, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025

Schumacher is a former policeman who created The Responder, the Martin Freeman-starring police drama that has been critically lauded. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2025

With no international policeman to protect countries, Ukraine has no choice but to arm itself to defend against future Russian aggression. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025

And besides, policemen don’t know anything about poisons. —Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for policeman

• policemen

Kids Definition

policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlē-smən 

: police officer

Medical Definition

policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən 

plural policemen -mən 

: an instrument (as a flat piece of rubber on a glass rod) for removing solids from a vessel (as a beaker)