policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən How to pronounce policeman (audio)
1
: a member of a police force
2
: one held to resemble a policeman
making the United States the policeman for the whole wide worldR. B. Long

Examples of policeman in a Sentence

reported the crime to the nearest policeman
Recent Examples on the Web Aid organizations have explored security workarounds, including convincing some policemen to accompany aid trucks out of uniform. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Two other strikes in Rafah killed two policemen and three senior officers in the civil police, according to city officials. Najib Jobain, arkansasonline.com, 11 Feb. 2024 More than 40 people have been arrested in Haiti for Moïse’s murder, including 18 former Colombian soldiers recruited for the deadly assault and numerous Haitian policemen taken into custody for standing down during the attack or doing nothing to prevent it. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024 At the time, Fischer worked—ironically enough—as a policeman in North Cornwall Township, Pennsylvania. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2024 Director: Steven Spielberg Cast: Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson A policeman (Arnold Schwarzenegger) must pose as a kindergarten teacher to catch a ruthless drug dealer (Richard Tyson) and his mastermind mother (a brilliant Carroll Baker). EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024 One day, a seven-year-old, Noam, was peering out of a classroom window at passing policemen on horseback. David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 As infections spread, violence — and paranoia — grows more rampant, but a policeman's investigation soon becomes personal when his only daughter begins to harbor symptoms. EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023 Jake investigates organized crime via an informal partnership with Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe), a policeman who doesn’t fight the yakuza so much as help preserve the equilibrium among their competing factions. Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'policeman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of policeman was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near policeman

Cite this Entry

“Policeman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policeman. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

policeman

noun
po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlē-smən How to pronounce policeman (audio)

Medical Definition

policeman

noun
po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən How to pronounce policeman (audio)
plural policemen -mən How to pronounce policeman (audio)
: an instrument (as a flat piece of rubber on a glass rod) for removing solids from a vessel (as a beaker)

More from Merriam-Webster on policeman

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