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

Inspector General Eliot Prescott identified the man who was shot as 55-year-old Steven Jones, who remains in critical condition, and the policeman who shot him as Officer Joseph Magnano. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 2 Mar. 2026

The policemen refused and ordered him back. —Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

Anything that would seem indecent to a policeman—a drawing of a big cock—[would get them in trouble]. —Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 26 Feb. 2026

Suddenly, Finnegan was striking out policemen and firefighters at rapid rates. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 17 Feb. 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)