ombudsman

om·buds·man

noun \ˈäm-ˌbu̇dz-mən, ˈȯm-, -bədz-, -ˌman; äm-ˈbu̇dz-, ȯm-\

plural om·buds·men\-mən\

Definition of OMBUDSMAN

1

: a government official (as in Sweden or New Zealand) appointed to receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against abuses or capricious acts of public officials

2

: one that investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints

— om·buds·man·ship \-ˌship\ noun

Examples of OMBUDSMAN

1. The insurance company's ombudsman was able to resolve the problem.
2. The town's ombudsman said he would look into charges of corruption.

Origin of OMBUDSMAN

Swedish, literally, representative, from Old Norse umbothsmathr, from umboth commission + mathr man

First Known Use: 1959

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

Rhymes with OMBUDSMAN

advance man, Alcoran, also-ran, Ameslan, anchorman, as one man, astrakhan, Astrakhan, ataman, Athelstan, attackman, balmacaan, Bantustan, bartizan, black-and-tan, bogeyman, boogeyman, businessman, Caliban, cameraman, caravan, cattleman, Civitan, cornerman, counterman, counterplan, countryman, courtesan, cutoff man, dairyman, defenseman, detail man, everyman, exciseman, expressman, family man, fancy-dan, fancy man, frying pan, funnyman, gamelan, garageman, garbageman, Hamadan, handyman, harmattan, hatchet man, Hindustan, hotelman, in the can, Isle of Man, jerrican, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, leading man, man-for-man, man-to-man, master plan, middleman, minivan, minuteman, Monaghan, moneyman, mountain man, muscleman, Occitan, Omdurman, overman, Pakistan, Parmesan, partisan, pattypan, Peking man, Peter Pan, pivotman, plainclothesman, Port Sudan, Powhatan, rather than, repairman, rewrite man, safetyman, sandwich man, selectman, serviceman, signalman, spick-and-span, superman, tallyman, tamarin, to a man, triggerman, trimaran, turbofan, Turkistan, vacuum pan, weatherman, workingman, yataghan

ombudsman

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Representative assigned by a large organization or a government to investigate citizen complaints and suggest solutions. An ombudsman's office was established by the Swedish constitution of 1809. The idea soon spread to other Scandinavian countries and later to New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Israel, and some states or provinces in the U.S., Australia, and Canada. An ombudsman's responsibility is to receive and investigate complaints and to serve as an independent and impartial arbiter in recommending what may be done to satisfy the complainant or in explaining why no action is necessary. Ombudsmen are now used in universities, corporations, municipalities, and institutions such as hospitals.