noun
-
a man, esp a policeman, who patrols a certain area
-
a man employed to patrol an area to help motorists in difficulty
Gender
See -man.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of patrolman
Explanation
A patrolman is another name for a police officer. Most patrolmen keep an eye on a certain area while walking or driving around it. The word patrolman is a bit old fashioned, since it's really only appropriate for a man — you can call a female officer a "patrolwoman," but it's simpler to just call them both police officers. Patrolman was first used in the 1840s to distinguish British constables who walked a beat, patrolling a specific neighborhood or region on foot. Patrol comes from the French patrouille, "a night watch."
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:
Movie people were stranded on Lookout Mountain, and in Malibu, where a highway patrolman managed to ferry milk to director Frank Capra’s children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Are you allowed to go into that?” she asked a patrolman.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
It didn’t help when the patrolman asked for our identification and saw we were from California.
From New York Times ● May 13, 2022
The Grand Rapids police chief, Eric Winstrom, said he was not aware of any evidence that the patrolman knew Lyoya or his record.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2022
He pointed at the small shopping bag that the patrolman had placed on the table.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Chava Cartas directs this crime drama based on Héctor de Mauleón’s account, focusing on the decisions faced by the patrolmen when threatened by the criminal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The patrolmen are equipped with rifles and handguns, to be used as a last resort against angry polar bears and musk ox.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
County Sheriff’s Department have done the heavy lifting – keeping control with helicopters, hundreds of patrolmen on foot and hundreds of patrol cars.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025
Two California Highway patrolmen stood about 20 feet away, talking to each other as traffic crawled along.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2024
Soon patrolmen under the command of Captain Horace Elliott began making regular walks past the store, where in accord with custom they stopped to chat with the young and personable owner.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
