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officer

officer

1.2
A person who works for the police and enforces the law
  • noun
  • /ˈɔfɪsər/
translation icon : policía
  • Good morning, Officer.
  • police officer
  • law enforcement officer
  • uniformed officer

I'm a retired law enforcement officer slash fire Marshall.

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Examples

  • The police officer quickly responded to the emergency call from the nearby store.

  • So this this police officer is talking to the manager.

  • Like in this situation, the guy said, officer, I have a gun.

  • Please tell that to this one officer to the Police Department.

  • And there is no police officer at the center to control the traffic.

    Academic text (2015)
  • How fast was I going, officer?

  • I'm not here as a police officer, I'm here as a regular guy.

  • Officer, I'm Sarah.

  • After the accident, the officer took statements from all the witnesses at the scene.

  • The community organized a meeting with the local officer to discuss safety concerns.

Synonyms

cop
vsofficer
  • Informal
6.3

A person who works for the police

is the standard, neutral word without informal tone
detective
vsofficer
2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and finds out what happened

is the general word that includes both investigators and other roles
investigator
vsofficer
756 3.4

A police officer who looks into crimes to find evidence

is the general term applying to all members, not only investigators
police officer
vsofficer
560 1.1

A person who keeps people safe and stops crime

is the general single-word label for that same role
policeman
vsofficer
303 1.0

A man whose job is to keep people safe and enforce laws

is the neutral term not focused on the person's gender
trooper
vsofficer
  • US
112 4.1

A police officer who rides a horse to watch streets and crowds

is the general term covering all types of force members
constable
vsofficer
  • UK
99 4.1

A police officer of low rank who works in local communities

is the broad term for any rank rather than a low one
copper
vsofficer
  • Slang
33 9.0

A police officer who keeps people safe and enforces laws

is the neutral contemporary word without dated tone
lawman
vsofficer
  • US
28 6.5

A man who works to enforce the law, like a sheriff or police officer

is the neutral modern term without historical or gender tone
patrolman
vsofficer
  • US
28 4.2

A police officer who walks around an area to keep people safe

is broader and not limited to area watching duties
police detective
vsofficer
27 2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and collects evidence

is the broad label not limited to investigative duties
policewoman
vsofficer
16 1.1

A woman who works as a police officer

is the neutral term not focused on the person's gender
peace officer
vsofficer
  • Formal
9 3.5

A person who has legal power to make people follow the law, like a police officer or sheriff

is the everyday term used for that kind of person
traffic cop
vsofficer
  • US
6 2.4

A police officer who directs cars and people at busy intersections

is the general label not tied to traffic duties
law officer
vsofficer
5 2.2

A person who makes sure people follow the law, like a police officer or sheriff

is the common, narrower label for such law enforcers
flatfoot
vsofficer
  • Offensive
3 8.8

A police officer who patrols on foot in a neighborhood

is the general word that covers any method of patrol
popo
vsofficer
  • Slang
2 9.9

A slang word for the police

is the neutral term used in formal or general contexts
police constable
vsofficer
  • UK
1 2.8

A low-ranking person who enforces the law and helps people

is the more general word that covers all ranks

Antonyms

574 2.6

A person who is not a soldier or police officer

Compounds

560 1.1

A person who keeps people safe and stops crime

commanding officer
  • Specialized
80 4.1

An officer in charge of a group of soldiers

A person who is second in command and runs daily work in a military unit or organization

A person in charge of soldiers who gives orders and leads them

A person who leads a company and makes its main decisions

intelligence officer
  • Specialized
33 3.7

A person who works for the government to collect and report secret information about threats to the country

A person who checks and guides people released from prison to follow court rules

A person who looks after a company's money, receives payments, pays bills, and keeps records

16 3.7

A person who commands ships or sailors in a navy

A senior manager who looks after a company's money, makes budgets, and prepares financial reports

15 4.9

A senior manager who runs a company's daily work and reports to the chief executive officer

medical officer
  • Specialized
15 3.7

A doctor who looks after the health of soldiers or people in an institution

petty officer
  • Specialized
10 4.8

A sailor with a middle rank in the Navy or Coast Guard who leads other sailors

9 2.8

A person who leads soldiers and has power to give orders in the army

peace officer
  • Formal
9 3.5

A person who has legal power to make people follow the law, like a police officer or sheriff

case officer
  • Jargon
8 7.5

A person who manages secret sources who give information to a spy agency

A woman who has an official job leading people in the police or army

A shooting where a police officer shoots someone or gets shot

5 2.2

A person who makes sure people follow the law, like a police officer or sheriff

general officer
  • Specialized
4 5.0

A senior military officer above colonel who commands large units

3 6.9

A person chosen by a government agency to listen to cases and make decisions

commissioned officer
  • Specialized
3 3.6

A member of the military who has power from the government to give orders

3 6.1

A person who leads a meeting and makes sure it runs correctly

flag officer
  • Specialized
3 8.5

A senior navy officer above captain who flies a flag to show command

staff officer
  • Specialized
3 6.1

A person in the military who helps a commander plan and manage operations

A military person who has rank from a written order and is above soldiers but below officers

chief petty officer
  • Specialized
2 7.3

A senior navy sailor who leads and trains other sailors

field officer
  • Specialized
2 4.6

A person in the army with the rank of major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel

2 6.2

A military person promoted from lower ranks who leads and trains soldiers

1 4.2

A person in the military or police who does office work

line officer
  • Jargon
1 7.7

A military leader who commands soldiers in combat, not a staff or supply role

A member of the armed forces who enforces rules, keeps soldiers in order and guards prisoners

A person who holds an official government job that is not military

ship's officer
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A person on a ship in charge of tasks and safety

1 7.7

A person in the military or intelligence who carries out a secret task

A military person with a rank who serves in a country's air force

1 7.0

An officer in the military ranked between captains and generals, such as major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel

An official who runs voting in an area and announces the result

A military officer who organizes and gives food, equipment, and fuel to troops

A person who has an official job in a church and helps lead it

A person in the military who has official rank and command

6.4

An officer in the navy with official rank and authority given by the government

9.5

A person who removes pests like rats or insects using sprays and traps

enlisted officer
  • Specialized
5.7

A military officer promoted from regular soldiers instead of joining as a new officer

6.7

A senior Royal Air Force person who watches over aircraft repair and ground crew

prosecuting officer
  • Specialized
6.0

A government lawyer who tries to prove someone committed a crime in court

A physical fight involving one or more police officers

7.7

An event where police officers take part, often causing public or legal concern

6.3

A high-ranking sailor in the US Navy or Coast Guard who leads and trains other sailors

How Senior

chief
1.9
lieutenant
  • Specialized
124 5.1
sergeant
422 3.9
officer
1.2
constable
  • UK
99 4.1

Surface Forms

officer singular
officers plural

Morphology

officer = office (opaque) = office + er

The pattern 'office' + '-er' can suggest a person holding an office, but it depends on the less familiar sense of 'office' meaning an official post rather than a room or workplace.

Etymology

Officer comes from the Latin word officium, which means 'duty' or 'service', and is the same root as office and official. So a police officer is someone given the duty to keep people safe and keep order.