traffic cop
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of traffic cop
An Americanism dating back to 1910–15
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 decade ago, he played traffic cop to an intrasquad rivalry between Hamilton and his German teammate Nico Rosberg.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
Five Scottish tries in the bag, a 27-point lead on the board and Finn Russell directing his players around the pitch with the authority of the world's greatest traffic cop.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2025
Two: Madeleine Westerhout, who was basically the sort of traffic cop in the White House, sitting right outside the Oval Office, trying to direct what was happening.
From Slate • Sep. 6, 2024
Daniels often operates like a traffic cop at the top of the high post while directing the offense.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 23, 2023
I open my mouth to say sumpin’ and she raise her bony claw hand up like a traffic cop.
From "Girls Like Us" by Gail Giles
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.
