police officer
Americannoun
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any policeman or policewoman; patrolman or patrolwoman.
-
a person having officer rank on a police force.
noun
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.
My friend’s sister, a retired police officer who claims to be a Christian, somehow managed to get herself appointed as the executor of their mother’s estate.
From MarketWatch • May 25, 2026
The Met Police confirmed it was called to "a collision with a police officer who was on foot at the eastern end of Constitution Hill next to Buckingham Palace".
From BBC • May 23, 2026
In reality, he was an ex-military police officer who’d been dismissed for misconduct.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
This is what we have instead of the normal process by which you would, for example, sue a local police officer.
From Slate • May 19, 2026
I keep looking at the door, expecting the police officer to come bursting through.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
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.
