Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

councilman

American  
[koun-suhl-muhn] / ˈkaʊn səl mən /

noun

plural

councilmen

  1. a member of a council, especially the local legislative body of a city.

councilman British  
/ ˈkaʊnsəlmən /

noun

  1. a member of a council, esp of a town or city; councillor

"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

Gender

Is councilman gender-neutral? See -man.

Other Word Forms

  • councilmanic adjective

Etymology

Origin of councilman

First recorded in 1650–60; council + 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.

Last year, she emailed her councilman, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, to ask for help with the “trash and feces” in a tunnel near her house, according to an email she provided.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

The councilman, who has represented South L.A. for more than a decade, was charged in June 2023.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

One of them, Carlos Bolsonaro, a former city councilman in Rio de Janeiro, nevertheless showed up at the hospital entrance to "send good energy" to his father.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

Mr. Allen, a Democrat, is a District of Columbia city councilman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

“First of all I’m a gun collector,” said former city councilman Vern Foreman.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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.