plainclothesman

noun

plain·​clothes·​man ˈplān-ˈklō(t͟h)z-mən How to pronounce plainclothesman (audio)
-ˌman
: a plainclothes police officer

Examples of plainclothesman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Less than a month later, plainclothesmen arrested Nassar at a local tire store, and Munford took him into custody. Jason Schmidt, Glamour, 30 Oct. 2018 Hustling bucks and ducking the Third Division boys, those earnest young plainclothesmen assigned to the vice squad who work out of the 17th Precinct on the East Side. Gail Sheehy, Daily Intelligencer, 9 Sep. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plainclothesman.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plainclothesman was in 1899

Dictionary Entries Near plainclothesman

Cite this Entry

“Plainclothesman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plainclothesman. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plainclothesman

noun
plain·​clothes·​man ˈplān-ˈklō(t͟h)z-mən How to pronounce plainclothesman (audio)
-ˌman
: a police officer who does not wear a uniform on duty

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