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policeman

American  
[puh-lees-muhn] / pəˈlis mən /

noun

plural

policemen

  1. a member of a police force or body.

  2. Ice Hockey. enforcer.

policeman British  
/ pəˈliːsmən /

noun

  1. Gender-neutral form: police officer.  a member of a police force, esp one holding the rank of constable

"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

Gender

See -man.

Other Word Forms

  • policemanlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of policeman

First recorded in 1795–1805; police + -man

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.

Though he almost immediately broke a collarbone during a practice, he stuck with the sport in the belief that it would make him a better policeman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

While working as a military policeman there, he joined a judo club.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Asked if she could remember specifically who it was who had reassured her, the woman replied it was someone "higher" than a policeman.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

"I made Phillip give us his car and a back up one for the policeman," she says, and confirms it will be "myself, Beatrice and Eugenie".

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

“But you don’t need a key to get out,” the policeman said.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

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.