policeman

[puh-lees-muhn]

noun

plural

policemen 

1. a member of a police force or body.

2. Ice Hockey.,  enforcer.

policeman

/ pəˈliːsmən /

noun

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

Gender Note

See -man.

Other Word Forms

• policemanlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of policeman¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; police + -man

Example Sentences

It was now nearly three in the morning, and the particular broker we are concerned with was snoring in bed, but a policeman pounding on the door got him up again.

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After his release, he is hounded mercilessly by an unhappy policeman.

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In a later video taken from the same scene we see the body covered in a cloth and carried towards a group of policemen standing by the university building.

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There is a policeman who directs traffic in front of the school, and as soon as he saw the Vespa, he started laughing.

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While Amine's murdered elder brother, Brahim, was known to have become involved with drugs gangs, investigators say that was not true of Mehdi, who had ambitions to become a policeman.

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Related Words

• constable 
• detective 
• man 
• officer 
• patrolman 
• patrolwoman 
• police 
• policewoman