gendarme

noun

ˈzhän-ˌdärm How to pronounce gendarme (audio)
Definition of gendarmenext
as in policeman
a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level the senator reiterated his conviction that it is not the role of the United States to be a kind of global gendarme

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gendarme Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo presided alone over the liturgy, distributing Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes present. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 During the Paris Commune of 1871, a socialist tailor named Herminie Cadolle experimented with corset design in the hope of allowing women to move around more freely and, presumably, evade the gendarmes. — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Lucienne, a mountain girl charmed by Ortiz, eased their passage by bribing the right gendarme. — Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026 Set in the lush forests and fields of northeastern France, this excitingly offbeat first feature from Sarah Arnold depicts a gory factional war between hunters and farmers, haves and have-nots, with one depressed fish-out-of-water gendarme caught in the middle. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for gendarme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gendarme
  1. policeman
  2. officer
  3. cop
  4. constable
Noun
  • Hanuman inspires him to avenge the rape of his mother by a corrupt policeman working for a deceitful Hindu nationalist spiritual leader.
    — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
  • When plans were made for a visit to Japan by President Eisenhower in 1960—it was eventually called off—there weren’t enough policemen to guard his route into Tokyo, so the yakuza were mobilized to help.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of policeman
Noun
  • Kering, which welcomed veteran automobile executive Luca de Meo as chief executive officer in September 2025, seems in a mood to shake up the group’s creative ranks.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Upon entering the school building, Krantz said, officers confirmed that the suspect was dead and found the four other people who died from their injuries, and their families have been notified.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of officer
Noun
  • In January 2025, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch changed the department pursuit policy, barring cops from chasing after vehicles fleeing car stops unless a felony crime or a violent misdemeanor was committed.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Even as a former cop, he was shocked by the state of the place.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cop
Noun
  • Jenna Ziviani, a constable at the police station, helped deliver Lyla while receiving guidance from an ambulance officer on the phone.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Thompson alerted a town administrator and special constable named Sherise Fountain, who went to investigate.
    — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of constable

Browse Nearby Words

gen
gendarme
gendarmerie
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gendarme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gendarme. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All