policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən 

1

: a member of a police force

2

: one held to resemble a policeman

… making the United States the policeman for the whole wide world.

—R. B. Long

Synonyms of policeman

• cop
• officer
• constable

Examples of policeman in a Sentence

reported the crime to the nearest policeman

Recent Examples on the Web

Hanuman inspires him to avenge the rape of his mother by a corrupt policeman working for a deceitful Hindu nationalist spiritual leader. — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

When plans were made for a visit to Japan by President Eisenhower in 1960—it was eventually called off—there weren’t enough policemen to guard his route into Tokyo, so the yakuza were mobilized to help. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Police in the Mazovia province, which counts Warsaw as one of its cities, posted a photo on X showing a policeman, his hand placed on the back of a person lying down with hands tied in the back. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Police in the Mazovia province, which includes both Ostroleka and Warsaw, posted a photo on X showing a policeman with his hand placed on the back of a person lying down with their hands tied behind their back. — Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for policeman

• policemen

Kids Definition

policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlē-smən 

: police officer

Medical Definition

policeman

noun

po·​lice·​man pə-ˈlēs-mən 

plural policemen -mən 

: an instrument (as a flat piece of rubber on a glass rod) for removing solids from a vessel (as a beaker)