police officer

American  

[puh-lees aw-fuh-ser, of-uh-] / pəˈlis ˌɔ fə sər, ˌɒf ə- /

noun

1. any policeman or policewoman; patrolman or patrolwoman.

2. a person having officer rank on a police force.

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police officer British  

noun

1. Often (esp as form of address) shortened to: officer.  a member of a police force, esp a constable; policeman

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Etymology

Origin of police officer

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Instead, attendees said, a memorial in Watts over the weekend for 94-year-old Earlene Curtis descended into chaos when Los Angeles police officers swarmed the block where the gathering took place.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s not like they’re talking to us,” one Minneapolis police officer supervisor said, trying to explain the federal agents’s actions on scene.

From Salon

Corrections & Amplifications The Insurrection Act was most recently used to aid with civil unrest over the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

From The Wall Street Journal

He is a strong advocate on behalf of rank and file police officers.

From BBC

But then, six months after the US withdrawal, Haqqani marched out in front of the world's cameras at a graduation ceremony of police officers in Kabul, his face uncovered.

From BBC

Related Words

• constable
• deputy
• detective
• marshal
• military police
• officer
• policeman
• trooper