ombudsman

[ om-buhdz-muhn, -man, -boodz-, awm-, om-boodz-muhn, -man, awm- ]
See synonyms for ombudsman on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural om·buds·men [om-buhdz-muhn, -men, -boodz-, awm-, om-boodz-muhn, -men, awm-]. /ˈɒm bədz mən, -ˌmɛn, -bʊdz-, ˈɔm-, ɒmˈbʊdz mən, -ˌmɛn, ɔm-/.
  1. a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies.

  2. a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.

Origin of ombudsman

1
1910–15; <Swedish: legal representative, equivalent to ombud agent, attorney + -s’s1 + -man-man

usage note For ombudsman

See -man.

Words Nearby ombudsman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ombudsman in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ombudsman

ombudsman

/ (ˈɒmbʊdzmən) /


nounplural -men
  1. a commissioner who acts as independent referee between individual citizens and their government or its administration

  2. (in Britain) an official, without power of sanction or mechanism of appeal, who investigates complaints of maladministration by members of the public against national or local government or its servants: Formal names: Commissioner for Local Administration, Health Service Commissioner, Parliamentary Commissioner See also Financial Ombudsman

Origin of ombudsman

1
C20: from Swedish: commissioner

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

Cultural definitions for ombudsman

ombudsman

[ (om-buhdz-muhn, om-boodz-muhn) ]


An official appointed by a government or other organization to investigate complaints against people in authority. This position is designed to give those with less power — the “little people” — a voice in the operation of large organizations.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.