Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Policewoman for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Policewoman" — noun, pronounced /pəˈliːswʊmən/, with the stress on "lee".
Narrator: A policewoman is a female member of a police force.
Narrator: In plain English, a policewoman is a woman whose job is to uphold the law and keep the public safe.
Narrator: It is a compound of police and woman, formed when forces began admitting women in the early twentieth century.
Narrator: "A plain-clothes policewoman" describes a female officer working undercover, not in uniform.
Narrator: It differs from an officer because policewoman specifies a woman, whereas officer is gender-neutral and the now preferred term.
Narrator: "Policewomen" is the plural, used when referring to several female officers together.
Narrator: Law enforcement, journalism, social history and community safety all rely on the word policewoman.
Narrator: So remember: a policewoman is a female police officer, though officer is the modern gender-neutral term.
Speaker A: Is policewoman still the right word, or should I say female officer instead?
Speaker B: Both work, but officer is now preferred! POLICEWOMAN is a compound of police and woman, formed when forces first admitted women in the early 1900s.
Speaker A: So the plural is policewomen?
Speaker B: Exactly — woman becomes women, just like in everyday English!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "A policewoman directed the traffic"; "she is the first policewoman in her family"; "two policewomen gave evidence in court" — a role, a milestone, and a plural.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not use policewoman for a male officer, since the word is female-specific; and keep the plural as policewomen, never policewomans.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: "Officer" the gender-neutral cousin, "constable" the rank twin, "detective" the investigative alternative. The policewoman keeps her historic, pioneering charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "policewoman" in AI prompts — useful for inclusive writing checkers and historical content tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could check for inclusive language?
Speaker B: Right. For an inclusive writing checker, you'd write:
Prompt: Review this news article and suggest replacing policewoman with officer where the person's gender is not relevant to the story.
Speaker A: How about a history tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model for a timeline:
Prompt: Write a short timeline of women joining British police forces, noting the first recorded policewoman and her role.
Speaker A: Could it help with a casting brief?
Speaker B: Yes, you can describe a character:
Prompt: Draft a brief character profile for a retired policewoman in a television drama, mentioning two defining cases from her career.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a public information app, try this:
Prompt: Write two sentences explaining to a child what a policewoman does, using simple words and a reassuring tone.
Policewoman — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary