policeman

noun

puh-LEES-muhn/pəˈliːsmən/

Pluralpolicemen

4 meanings of policeman

1
nouncountable
A member of a police force, usually a man.
Like a guard who keeps a town safe and makes sure people follow the rules.
A policeman stopped the car and asked the driver for his license.
Two policemen directed traffic after the crash.
Similarofficer, constable, patrolman
Note
2
nouncountable
In ice hockey, a tough player who protects teammates by fighting rough opponents.
Like a big brother who steps in when someone bullies his younger brother.
The team's policeman skated over whenever an opponent took a cheap shot.
Old hockey teams always kept a couple of policemen on the roster.
Similarenforcer
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3
nouncountable
A glass rod tipped with rubber, used in a lab to scrape solids loose when weighing them carefully.
Like a small wiper with a soft tip that cleans every bit off the glass.
She used a policeman to wipe the last bits of solid from the beaker.
The lab kit included a glass policeman for scraping the leftover powder.
Note
4
nouncountable
A kind of butterfly that belongs to the group scientists call Coeliades.
A policeman landed on the flower, folded its wings, and drank the nectar.
My brother caught a policeman in his butterfly net and then let it fly away.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the word "police" plus "-man".