police officer
Americannoun
-
any policeman or policewoman; patrolman or patrolwoman.
-
a person having officer rank on a police force.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of police officer
First recorded in 1790–1800
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.
Clear Channel later said local police failed that night to activate the emergency alert system, which would have allowed the broadcast of special bulletins.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025
He also says his farming machinery was damaged, and that local police failed to act on his reports.
From BBC • May 15, 2025
In addition to detailing her encounter and suggesting the police failed to properly investigate her claims, Ashley mentions that she has been living in isolation after becoming “incredibly reclusive.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2025
A local court dismissed the case in 2020 because of what it described as the “lack of diligent prosecution” after the police failed to present some witnesses.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2023
Up to the time of going to press, the man Isaac Lalonde, whom the police failed to arrest last night on a charge not at present precisely stated, has not been apprehended.
From The Lighted Way by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
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.
