pol
noun
a politician, especially one experienced in making political deals, exchanging political favors, etc.
pol
1 American
[pol]
/ pɒl /
noun
Informal.
POL
2
American
pol.
3
American
abbreviation
-
political.
-
politics.
Pol.
4
American
abbreviation
-
Poland.
-
Also Pol Polish.
Pol.
1
British
abbreviation
-
Poland
-
Polish
POL
2
British
abbreviation
Usage
What does pol mean? Pol is an informal word for a politician—a person who holds or is seeking political office as an elected government official. Like the word politician, pol is most commonly used in the context of politicians campaigning, giving speeches, and promoting themselves, as opposed to the activities that they do as part of being a government official—voting, debating issues, and working to find solutions to problems (in which case a politician might be called a representative or officeholder—or a legislator or lawmaker, if they work in a lawmaking capacity). Pol is especially used to refer to a long-term politician who’s experienced in making political deals or exchanging political favors. For that reason, it’s often used in a negative way, such as to refer to politicians who are considered members of the establishment. The informal term politico can be used to mean the same thing. Example: We should be focusing on real issues instead of listening to endless rhetoric from pols and pundits.
Etymology
Origin of pol
First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening
Explanation
A pol is a politician, or someone who's very politically active. When pols are arguing on the TV news, you may be tempted to change the channel and watch cartoons instead. Pol is a shortened form of politician that's been used colloquially since the 1940s in North America. Politician can trace its roots back to the Greek politikos, "of citizens, the state, or public life," from polis, or "city." Today pol is used not only for political candidates, but also political experts and enthusiasts.
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:
Who knows what might have happened if an ordinary pol like Harding, rather than the zealous brainiac Hoover, had been president in 1929.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Wearing a blouse decorated with orange poppies, the bespectacled Barrios looked every bit the polite pol that O.C. leaders had taken her to be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
But some are already drawing parallels with another Arizona pol who Gallego replaced: former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party before deciding against a run for reelection.
From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2025
Yet the veteran California pol, a determined survivor, is the key to guiding his party to a shutdown resolution.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
By the way is magnesia good on these occasions? iii pol: med: sum: ante noct: in rub: can:.
From The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 Letters 1821-1842 by Mary Lamb
This led the team to focus on targeting a key gene essential to this pathway, POL I, which is also controlled by these master regulator proteins.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
Dr Behrens said: "By targeting POL I with inhibitors, we were able to kill leukaemia cells and stop their growth in our pre-clinical and human tissue models."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
“In cases identified by POL Cyber Command, folders permissions were modified, among others, in mailboxes that were high-value information targets for the adversary,” the Polish Cyber Command said on its website.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
The "When Harry met Santa" ad was made by Norwegian creative agency POL and producers B-Reel Films.
From Reuters ● Nov. 25, 2021
The oil fires fringing Hanoi and Haiphong still blazed as 200 U.S. jets each day flew back to blast smaller POL targets.
From Time Magazine Archive
The two passages may be compared thus:— Ign. ad Pol. ii.
From The Gospels in the Second Century An Examination of the Critical Part of a Work Entitled 'Supernatural Religion' by William Sanday
Pol., of March 11-18, 1657-8, quoted in Cromwelliana, pp. 170-171.
From The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660 by David Masson
Du. kraeghe, the throat; Pol. kark, the nape, crag, neck; Bohem. krk, the neck; Icel. krage, Dan. krave, the collar of a coat.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 06, No. 34, August, 1860 by Various
Pol. of dates, as quoted in Cromwelliana, 167-170.
From The Life of John Milton, Volume 5 (of 7), 1654-1660 by David Masson
See the remarks of Mr. W. L. Newman, "The Pol. of Aristotle," vol. i. p.
From Hellenica by Henry Graham Dakyns
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.
