alderman

noun

al·​der·​man ˈȯl-dər-mən 

1

: a person governing a kingdom, district, or shire as viceroy for an Anglo-Saxon king

2

a

: a magistrate formerly ranking next below the mayor in an English or Irish city or borough

b

: a high-ranking member of a borough or county council in Ireland or formerly in England chosen by elected members

3

: a member of a city legislative body

aldermanic

ˌȯl-dər-ˈma-nik 

adjective

Examples of alderman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As Chicago’s budget deadline looms, Mayor Brandon Johnson is pitching a new way to pay for several police positions while aldermen are urging the mayor to make further cuts in his spending plan. —Grace Miserocchi, Chicago Tribune, 7 Dec. 2024

Alex Voigt, deputy chief of staff in the mayor’s office, told aldermen the city would like their help by recruiting as many as 10 people each from their wards. —Steve Lord, Chicago Tribune, 23 Nov. 2024

Victim update The victim was hospitalized following the shooting but has since been released, says Debra Silverstein, the alderman representing Chicago’s 50th Ward, where the shooting took place. —Hanna Park, CNN, 1 Nov. 2024

Public comment at times grew hostile, as parents and aldermen brought up the background of Rev. Johnson and accused several of the new board members of being involved in the mayor’s plans to disrupt the school board to push his agenda to take out a loan. —Sarah MacAraeg, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English ealdorman, from ealdor parent (from eald old) + man — more at old

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

alderman

noun

al·​der·​man ˈȯl-dər-mən 

: a member of a city legislative body

aldermanic

ˌȯl-dər-ˈman-ik 

adjective

Legal Definition

alderman

noun

al·​der·​man ˈȯl-dər-mən 

: a member of a city legislative body