gendarme

noun

gen·​darme ˈzhän-ˌdärm 

 also  ˈjän-

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

Synonyms

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

Examples of gendarme in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

French gendarmes have been busy policing crypto crimes, but these aren't the usual financial schemes, cons, and HODL! —ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025

The defense also raised concerns about witness tampering, after private communications appeared to show Vatican gendarmes and prosecutors working to pressure a key witness. —Dan Cody, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

Good thing the gendarmes were so generous. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025

The resulting bloodshed brings the pair of goofy gendarmes into bewildered action, as the Zero cavalry trots in on short-legged white horses and Jony, Line, Rudy, and the local One leader, Jane (Anamaria Vartolomei), deploy on their respective sides. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gendarme

• alarm
• disarm
• forearm
• nonfarm
• rearm
• arm
• charm
• farm
• harm
• firearm
• underarm

Kids Definition

gendarme

noun

gen·​darme ˈzhän-ˌdärm 

 also  ˈjän-

: a member of a police force especially in France

Etymology

from French gendarme "policeman," derived as a singular form from earlier gensdarmes, gent d'armes, literally, "armed people"