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

In one video shared on social media, a teenager was shot in the face with a tear-gas grenade at almost point-blank range by a policeman. — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

On the other side of Via Solari, a handful of policemen gathered around dozens of demonstrators, who ardently—but peacefully—chanted for entirely different reasons. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 28 Sep. 2026

Then, after walking for a couple of blocks, directing withering sneers at the policeman’s reddish face, which was as impassive as that of a stone idol, Gleb cooled down and succumbed to boredom. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026

One of Sanchez’s associates shot at the policemen, who returned fire. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 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)