Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

ombudsman

American  
[om-buhdz-muhn, -man, -boodz-, awm-, om-boodz-muhn, -man, awm-] / ˈɒm bədz mən, -ˌmæn, -bʊdz-, ˈɔm-, ɒmˈbʊdz mən, -ˌmæn, ɔm- /

noun

plural

ombudsmen

  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.

ombudsman British  
/ ˈɒmbʊdzmən /

noun

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

  2. Formal names: Commissioner for Local Administration.   Health Service Commissioner.   Parliamentary Commissioner.  (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 See also Financial Ombudsman

"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
ombudsman Cultural  

  1. 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.

Gender

See -man.

Etymology

Origin of ombudsman

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

Carr made the appointment of an ombudsman for CBS News a condition to approve Ellison’s Skydance Partners deal to acquire Paramount last year.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

The Polish patients' rights ombudsman also found that Izabela's rights had been violated, and recommended new protocols for septic shock and for situations posing threats to a woman's health.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Rebecca Hilsenrath KC, chief executive of the ombudsman, said public services must be accessible to everyone.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Neil Barofsky, an ombudsman tasked with investigating funds stolen from Holocaust victims, told the panel that 150 or more key documents are being withheld by the Swiss banking giant, which acquired Credit Suisse in 2023.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

An ombudsman would scan the news stories, research whatever statistics are mentioned, try to see that they are at least internally consistent, and probe most carefully into a priori implausible claims.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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.