ombudsman
a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies.
a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.
Origin of ombudsman
1usage note For ombudsman
Words Nearby ombudsman
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ombudsman in a sentence
Some are pushing a proposal to create an ombudsman that would investigate complaints about the department.
The Way Prisoners Flag Guard Abuse, Inadequate Health Care and Unsanitary Conditions Is Broken | by Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ | December 2, 2020 | ProPublicaVollen-Katz said one step the state could take would be to create a corrections ombudsman who could investigate complaints and find solutions.
The Way Prisoners Flag Guard Abuse, Inadequate Health Care and Unsanitary Conditions Is Broken | by Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ | December 2, 2020 | ProPublicaHe said he had already emailed the student ombudsman twice, and never received a reply.
College Students Are Learning Hard Lessons About Anti-Cheating Software | Kara Grant | November 30, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoDHS this week announced the appointment of a new ombudsman for immigration detention, after House Democrats demanded increased oversight and accountability.
Immigrants held at Md. jail were excessively strip-searched, according to DHS Inspector General | Nick Miroff | October 30, 2020 | Washington PostComplaints also have declined because those who typically file complaints on behalf of nursing home residents — family members, other visitors and long-term care ombudsmen — were shut out of facilities.
Confirmed Nursing Home Complaints Plummet During Pandemic | Jared Whitlock | August 25, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
An inquiry headed by the Police ombudsman, a sort of referee figure, came down against the informer allegation.
He not only favors New Jersey's civil-unions law, but argued that it should be backed with an ombudsman to enforce it.
A Thinner Chris Christie Still Faces Big Political Challenges | Robert Shrum | May 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST“If you look at the new media players, not one of them has an ombudsman,” she notes.
Washington Post’s Katharine Weymouth Offers the ‘Story Behind the Story’ | Eleanor Clift | March 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Post's ombudsman rightly defended his paper's judgement.
It is impossible for a single ombudsman to end all those problems quickly.
British Dictionary definitions for ombudsman
/ (ˈɒmbʊdzmən) /
a commissioner who acts as independent referee between individual citizens and their government or its administration
(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: Formal names: Commissioner for Local Administration, Health Service Commissioner, Parliamentary Commissioner See also Financial Ombudsman
Origin of ombudsman
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for ombudsman
[ (om-buhdz-muhn, om-boodz-muhn) ]
An official appointed by a government or other organization to investigate complaints against people in authority. This position is designed to give those with less power — the “little people” — a voice in the operation of large organizations.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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