alderman

noun al·der·man \ ˈȯl-dər-mən \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of alderman

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

play \ˌȯl-dər-ˈma-nik\ adjective

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Recent Examples of alderman from the Web

Plus thirty alderman and some 1500 others — that’s not a typo: fifteen hundred — convicted in the past forty years; bribery, extortion, tax fraud, embezzlement.

— megan stielstra, Longreads, "Here is My Heart," 19 Apr. 2018
By 1986, however, black and white Democrats were at each other’s throats as Vrdolyak—and Alderman Ed Burke—led a faction of white aldermen against Mayor Washington.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics Chairwoman Preckwinkle's Machine takeover a far cry from days of Fast Eddie," 19 Apr. 2018
Their reign of terror only ended when sometime before 4 p.m. when the mayor, aldermen and police chief of the city of Wilmington resigned at gunpoint.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "What real patriotism looks like," 4 Apr. 2018
McMillan, chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia, was a leader among the conservative white Democrats on Capitol Hill who governed the majority-black city like a board of aldermen in the years before municipal home rule.

— paul duggan, Washington Post, "After bloodshed in earlier U.S. riots, D.C. police showed restraint in 1968 unrest," 26 Mar. 2018
Paul DesCoteaux, who died in 2012, was a veteran Geneva alderman and served as interim mayor in 1996.

— linda girardi, Aurora Beacon-News, "Spring cleaning: Volunteers pick up debris along Fox River banks," 8 Apr. 2018
But not so in Wilmington, where black voters felt secure enough to head to the polls, despite the threats from Waddell & Co. and the black mayor and aldermen hadn’t even been up for election that year.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "What real patriotism looks like," 4 Apr. 2018
That ward is heavily Latino, but it’s ruled by alderman Ed Burke.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics / Race Another ‘grass gap’ in Chicago opens between blacks and whites on legalization," 2 Apr. 2018
But the aldermen decided to reconsider after the group filed a federal lawsuit claiming the permit denial violated the First Amendment and 14th Amendment rights of members of the LGBTQ community.

— editors, USA TODAY, "March for Our Lives, Elite Eight, Stormy Daniels on '60 Minutes': 5 things to know this weekend," 24 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alderman.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of alderman

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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ALDERMAN Defined for English Language Learners

alderman

noun

Definition of alderman for English Language Learners

: a member of a city government in the U.S., Canada, and Australia
: a senior member of an English town, county, or borough council who is elected by the other members

ALDERMAN Defined for Kids

alderman

noun al·der·man \ ˈȯl-dər-mən \

Definition of alderman for Students

: a member of a lawmaking body in a city

Law Dictionary

alderman

noun al·der·man \ ˈȯl-dər-mən \

legal Definition of alderman

: a member of a city legislative body

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Spanish Central: Translation of alderman Nglish: Translation of alderman for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of alderman for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alderman

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alderman

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aldermanic

Recent Examples of alderman from the Web

Origin and Etymology of alderman

ALDERMAN Defined for English Language Learners

alderman

Definition of alderman for English Language Learners

ALDERMAN Defined for Kids

alderman

Definition of alderman for Students

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alderman

legal Definition of alderman

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alderman

Definition of alderman

aldermanic

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Origin and Etymology of alderman

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alderman

Definition of alderman for English Language Learners

ALDERMAN Defined for Kids

alderman

Definition of alderman for Students

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alderman

legal Definition of alderman

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