gendarme

gen·darme

noun \ˈzhän-ˌdärm also ˈjän-\

Definition of GENDARME

1

: a member of a body of soldiers especially in France serving as an armed police force for the maintenance of public order

2

: police officer

Examples of GENDARME

1. <the senator reiterated his conviction that it is not the role of the United States to be a kind of global gendarme>

Origin of GENDARME

French, from Middle French, back-formation from gensdarmes, plural of gent d'armes, literally, armed people

First Known Use: 1793

Related to GENDARME

Synonyms

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

Related Words

patrolman, policewoman; detective, dick, gumshoe, hawkshaw, inspector, investigator, plainclothesman, sherlock, sleuth, sleuthhound; marshal (also marshall), sheriff, trooper; peace officer; captain, lieutenant, sergeant; constabulary, heat [slang], man, police, police force; operative, private detective, private eye, private investigator

Near Antonyms

civilian

Other Job Terms

factotum, milliner, ostler, scrivener, tinker, webster, wordsmith

Rhymes with GENDARME

alarm, disarm, dry farm, fat farm, firearm, fish farm, forearm, gisarme, poor farm, rearm, sidearm, stiff-arm, straight-arm, strong-arm, tonearm, tree farm, truck farm, unarm, wind farm, work farm, yardarm