policeman
noun/pəˈliːsmən/
Etymology From police + -man.
1
Government, Law enforcement A police officer, usually a male.
- The policeman who arrests the "Red" does not understand the theories the "Red" is preaching; if he did, his own position as bodyguard of the monied class might seem less pleasant to him.1941, George Orwell, The Lion and the Unicorn, Pt. I:
- Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
1 more example
- Still agitated, she watched resentfully as two traffic policemen remounted their motorcycles.2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 378:
2
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A glass rod capped at one end with rubber, used in a chemistry laboratory for gravimetric analysis.
3
Biology, Entomology, Natural sciences Any skipper of the genus Coeliades.
4
Hobbies, Ice hockey, Lifestyle, Skating, Sports Synonym of enforcer.
- A team may have a policeman or enforcer.2002, P. J. Harari, Dave Ominsky, Ice Hockey Made Simple: A Spectator's Guide, page 26:
- Synonyms
- police officer, rubber policeman
- Derived terms
- community policeman, military policeman, policemanish, policemanlike, policemanly, policeman of the Gulf, policeman's helmet, policemanship, silent policeman, sleeping policeman, world policeman
- Related terms
- constable