police officer
Americannoun
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any policeman or policewoman; patrolman or patrolwoman.
-
a person having officer rank on a police force.
noun
Etymology
Origin of police officer
First recorded in 1790–1800
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.
The forum featured Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez, who testified that he had been forced to fire a police officer because their work permit renewal was not processed on time.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
My friend’s sister, a retired police officer who claims to be a Christian, somehow managed to get herself appointed as the executor of their mother’s estate.
From MarketWatch • May 25, 2026
An e-scooter rider and a police officer were taken to a major trauma centre after a collision outside Buckingham Palace.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
Ihor’s duty as an emergency police officer also allows the story a broader view, beyond the claustrophobic suffering assembled at the theater.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
He hung up, walked slowly back to the police officer.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
