government man
- noun
- /ˈɡʌvərnmənt mæn/
- Before I go to bed, I'll call the government man and ask him to come out and take a look at her.
Examples
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The residents were surprised when a government man knocked on their door to discuss the upcoming election.
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The government man wants you to know something, he'll call you or send you a telegram.
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There's a government man here to talk to you.
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That government man with the letter about you bein' dead?
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Well, I'm indicatin' it to you, government man.
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Val, I was so scared when that damned old government man brought them papers that told us you was dead.
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He's a government man.
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The government man explained the new policy changes to the community during a town hall meeting.
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A government man arrived at the school to talk about the importance of civic engagement.
Synonyms
A person who works in government or politics, often as an elected leader
A person who speaks or acts for other people in an official way
A person who manages a government department or public service
A diplomat who represents one country to another and ranks below an ambassador
A person who works in a government office and often cares more about rules than people
A person elected or appointed to carry out government work
A person who holds public office after winning an election
A man who is on a town or city council
A person who works for the country's government to enforce laws and investigate crimes
A person who works for the government, elected or appointed
A senior official who helps the head of a government department make decisions
A person who works for a government department in a long-term job and is not elected
A government worker who makes sure people follow national laws, often in the United States
A man who works to enforce the law, like a sheriff or police officer
A person who works for the government and acts for it
A person who takes money from people to pay taxes to the government
A person who has an official job in a government or large organization
A person who has an official job with power and responsibility in a government or organization
A person in the government who leads a department and makes rules about it
A government worker who collects taxes from people and businesses
A person who holds a public office for a fixed time, for example in government
A person who a government or organization sends to speak for it at official meetings
A government official who represents their country in another country and ranks below an ambassador
An old word for a senior official who a country sends to represent it in another country
A person or group allowed to act for someone else in legal matters
A person who gets a job because of connections rather than skill
A temporary government official who is not a permanent staff member
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a person employed by or representing the government' is directly and transparently composed from 'government' (state authority) + 'man' (person). The agentive pattern 'X man' (a person associated with X) is common and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Government man began as a simple picture of a government man — someone sent by the government to do official work in a town or office. Because these men enforced rules or supervised projects for the authorities, the phrase came to mean 'a person employed by the government or acting as its representative'.