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

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

Examples of policeman in a Sentence

reported the crime to the nearest policeman

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the policemen were busy convincing men with rifles who had positioned themselves in between the houses along West Sullivan Street, facing the school, to hold their fire. —Sally Ventura june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025

Baruchel will play Jacob Merrick, a small-town policeman. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 June 2025

One policeman sustained a serious eye injury in Normandy and was placed in an artificial coma. —Roger Cohen, New York Times, 1 June 2025

In October 2016, robbers dressed as policemen entered a hotel, overpowered a nightwatchman, and used his keys to enter Kardashian’s room. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025

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)