noun
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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.
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.
Asked how he’d like to be remembered, Wambaugh summed it up with the no-nonsense crispness of a patrolman handing out a speeding ticket.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
It’s not often an opposing player gets this honor, but Grisham, who is sporting a mustache than only a highway patrolman could replicate, drove in all five of San Diego’s runs.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2023
That video was played repeatedly for jurors, and Mr. Van Dyke became the first Chicago patrolman to be convicted of murder in almost 50 years.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2023
Philip, then a New York City patrolman, kept close watch over his boys as they grew.
From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2022
That patrolman was the fly in everyone’s ointment.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
