alderman

American  

[awl-der-muhn] / ˈɔl dər mən /

noun

plural

aldermen

1. a member of a municipal legislative body, especially of a municipal council.

2. (in England) one of the members, chosen by the elected councilors, in a borough or county council.

3. Early English History.

   1. a chief.

   2. (later) the chief magistrate of a county or group of counties.

4. Northern U.S. Slang. a pot belly.

---

alderman British  

/ ˌɔːldəˈmænɪk, ˈɔːldəmən /

noun

1. (in England and Wales until 1974) one of the senior members of a local council, elected by other councillors

2. (in the US, Canada, Australia, etc) a member of the governing body of a municipality

3. history a variant spelling of ealdorman

---

alderman Cultural  

1. A member of a city council. Aldermen usually represent city districts, called wards, and work with the mayor to run the city government. Jockeying among aldermen for political influence is often associated with machine politics.

---

Gender

Is alderman gender-neutral? See -man.

Other Word Forms

• aldermancy noun
• aldermanic adjective
• aldermanry noun
• aldermanship noun
• underalderman noun

Etymology

Origin of alderman

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English (e)aldormann, equivalent to ealdor “chief, patriarch” ( eald old + -or noun suffix) + mann man

Example Sentences

But they held government-related positions, such as a Wisconsin alderman who resigned after he was identified as a member.

From Salon

“The alderman’s office has definitely received complaints from neighbors about people gathering and people placing a bunch of different objects in the public way there,” she told The Associated Press.

From Seattle Times

He has served as an alderman in Derby and ran for mayor of the city in 2023.

From Seattle Times

In the general election in November, Justice O’Neill Burke will face a Republican opponent, Bob Fioretti, a former alderman.

From New York Times

He also is a former state legislator and city alderman.

From Seattle Times