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

• cop
• officer
• constable [chiefly British]

Examples of policeman in a Sentence

reported the crime to the nearest policeman

Recent Examples on the Web

Today’s policed are tomorrow’s policemen. —Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025

The actors tells the stories of the deceased, including cattleman and 6666 ranch owner Samuel Burk Burnett, and the city’s first Black policeman, Hagar Tucker. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Sep. 2025

Two policemen were injured and the driver was killed, police confirmed, after the vehicle landed in a ditch. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025

The three fallen policemen were identified as Detective-Sgt. —David K. Li, NBC news, 18 Sep. 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)