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ombudsman

American  
[om-buhdz-muhn, -man, -boodz-, awm-, om-boodz-muhn, -man, awm-] / ˈɒm bədz mən, -ˌmæn, -bʊdz-, ˈɔm-, ɒmˈbʊdz mən, -ˌmæn, ɔm- /

noun

plural

ombudsmen

  1. a government official who hears and investigates complaints by private citizens against other officials or government agencies.

  2. a person who investigates and attempts to resolve complaints and problems, as between employees and an employer or between students and a university.

ombudsman British  
/ ˈɒmbʊdzmən /

noun

  1. a commissioner who acts as independent referee between individual citizens and their government or its administration

  2. 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

"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
ombudsman Cultural  

  1. 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.

Gender

See -man.

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.

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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.

Former Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Rosemary Agnew has spent her 40-year career overseeing and regulating public services in Scotland.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

The arrest was made on Wednesday following an investigation from the Police Ombudsman.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, an independent body, does not comment on individual complaints it receives or investigates.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

Responding to complaints brought by environmental groups over the so-called "simplification" drive, the EU Ombudsman, Teresa Anjinho, concluded "maladministration" by the commission in a sharply critical report.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

What is fact is that the events of the raid and what followed formed the basis of a formal complaint by Anthrax to the Office of the Ombudsman and an internal investigation within the AFP.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette

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.