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Synonyms

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.

police officer British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

A Durham Police officer told the coroner the force was contacted on 29 July 2024 after a contractor working on the building found a "small skeleton of a baby under the floorboards".

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Police officer Larry DePrimo was walking the beat and saw a homeless man standing barefoot on the sidewalk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

A former undercover Metropolitan Police officer who spent years infiltrating a left-wing campaign group in east London is due to give evidence to the Undercover Policing Inquiry.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2025

She said following that a safeguarding issue was logged and staff were accompanied by a Merseyside Police officer whenever they attended the house.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

Police officer John Scott, assigned to the train station, sprinted across the large main waiting room to help Parke.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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.