policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən 

1

: a member of a police force

2

: one held to resemble a policeman

making the United States the policeman for the whole wide world

—R. B. Long

Synonyms

• bobby [British]
• bull [slang]
• constable [chiefly British]
• cop
• copper
• flatfoot [slang]
• fuzz
• gendarme
• lawman
• officer
• police officer
• shamus [slang]

Examples of policeman in a Sentence

reported the crime to the nearest policeman

Recent Examples on the Web

Keats and New York defenseman Ching Johnson squared off in a bitter brawl that required players from both teams, the referee and two uniformed policemen to break up. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2024

Hill received five death threats and had to meet with two FBI agents and two Los Angeles policemen. —Jeff Fedotin, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024

Firemen are now firefighters, mailmen are letter carriers, policemen are police officers. —Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 19 July 2024

Two other former policemen indicted in the case have pleaded guilty. —Debbie Elliott, NPR, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlē-smən 

: police officer

Medical Definition

policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən 

plural policemen -mən 

: an instrument (as a flat piece of rubber on a glass rod) for removing solids from a vessel (as a beaker)