plainclothesman
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of plainclothesman
First recorded in 1925–30; plain clothes + man
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.
After he became a plainclothesman he sprouted a beard.
From Time Magazine Archive
Just before one session began, a Western reporter asked a Soviet plainclothesman what time the Peking delegation was expected.
From Time Magazine Archive
Rudd himself was arrested by a long-haired plainclothesman who, passing as a protester, had mingled with the students and won their confidence.
From Time Magazine Archive
Voroshilov made a second attempt to join his old comrades through a side door of the Mausoleum and was ejected by a plainclothesman.
From Time Magazine Archive
The plainclothesman in front of her flashed a badge, showed a search warrant, and brusquely asked Mary for permission to enter.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
