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
Synonyms of gendarme
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
Enter Orsolya, who shows up at the door with some gendarmes and an official eviction notice and gives Ion twenty minutes to quit the premises.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Additionally, Leo has named a former Swiss Guard lieutenant, Anton Kappler, to serve as a second administrative aide in his office, alongside the former gendarme Piergiorgio Zanetti.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The French police and gendarmes were only relatively satisfied with these results: In the Alpes-Maritimes, two out of three Jews on file had escaped capture (for now).
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
At the same time, there's enough nonsense, edging into ridiculousness, that the series might best be approached as a black action-comedy — at the end of the opening scene, the gendarmes are splattered with pieces of supermodel — or a very fancy B (maybe C) picture.
—Robert Lloyd, Houston Chronicle, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gendarme
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Additionally, Leo has named a former Swiss Guard lieutenant, Anton Kappler, to serve as a second administrative aide in his office, alongside the former gendarme Piergiorgio Zanetti.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
The French police and gendarmes were only relatively satisfied with these results: In the Alpes-Maritimes, two out of three Jews on file had escaped capture (for now).
—Literary Hub, 17 Feb. 2026
At the same time, there's enough nonsense, edging into ridiculousness, that the series might best be approached as a black action-comedy — at the end of the opening scene, the gendarmes are splattered with pieces of supermodel — or a very fancy B (maybe C) picture.
—Robert Lloyd, Houston Chronicle, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gendarme
Cite this Entry
“Gendarme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gendarme. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
