ombudsman
Americannoun
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ombudsmen
plural
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a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies.
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a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.
noun
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a commissioner who acts as independent referee between individual citizens and their government or its administration
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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
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ombudsman
1910–15; < Swedish: legal representative, equivalent to ombud agent, attorney + -s ’s 1 + -man -man
Explanation
In the U.S., your congressman is considered your unofficial ombudsman or the state official who investigates and makes sure the government is acting in the best interest of its citizens. The word come directly from the Swedish ombudsman, meaning "legal representative." An ombudsman is a legal representative, often appointed by a government or organization to investigate complaints made by individuals in the interest of the citizens or employees. Usually this is a state official appointed to oversee an investigation of complaints about improper government activity against citizens.
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.
See Examples For:
Russia's human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova nodded along as her counterpart from Kyiv, Dmytro Lubinets, spoke Ukrainian to brief the media about the longest truce between their warring countries.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Friday morning that those who decided to stay "will receive all the necessary humanitarian assistance".
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Daniel has taken his case to the ombudsman and is awaiting a determination.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
To protect its independence, Congress, in the 1991 national Defense Appropriations Act, created the office of ombudsman at the paper.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 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
The ceasefire will be guaranteed by "the physical presence of both ombudsmen: Ukrainian and Russian" on the ground, Lubinets's office told journalists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Other parts of the UK have similar ombudsmen schemes.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Under Sheinbaum’s blueprint, broadcasters would be required to develop codes of ethics, name ombudsmen to represent viewers and listeners, and establish mechanisms to receive and evaluate complaints.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Further, to support implementation, the House Budget Committee and Ways and Means Committee could appoint ombudsmen to oversee the CBO and JCT transparency efforts respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Newspaper columns on usage are filled with apologies for “errors” like these, spotted by ombudsmen or managing editors who have trained themselves to flag them.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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