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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.

Mike Bonin, a former city councilman, said he believed Price’s alleged malfeasance should be handled by the city’s Ethics Commission — not criminal prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 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

Take Charles Allen, the District of Columbia councilman who this fall delayed Waymo’s rollout in the nation’s capital by demanding that the city government study it further.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

"I am calling on Baltimore County Public Schools to review procedures around its AI-powered weapon detection system," Baltimore County local councilman Izzy Pakota wrote on Facebook.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

A councilman dutifully placed a piece of parchment on the table before her.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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.