gendarme
noun
gen·darme
ˈzhän-ˌdärm 
also ˈjän-
1
: a member of a body of soldiers especially in France serving as an armed police force for the maintenance of public order
2
Synonyms
Examples of gendarme in a Sentence
the senator reiterated his conviction that it is not the role of the United States to be a kind of global gendarme
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1897, years before fingerprinting became widespread, French gendarmes used it to identify the serial killer Joseph Vacher.
—
Shaun Raviv, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2020
Seeing the knife, the gendarmes arrest him; Modi is home free.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
The mainstream drifts rightward In France last week, a migrant from Cape Verde ran over and killed a gendarme.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2024
Suspecting skullduggery, the New Zealand squad called the local police, and gendarmes located and then detained the nearby drone operator.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for gendarme 
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.
Shaun Raviv, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2020
Seeing the knife, the gendarmes arrest him; Modi is home free.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
The mainstream drifts rightward In France last week, a migrant from Cape Verde ran over and killed a gendarme.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2024
Suspecting skullduggery, the New Zealand squad called the local police, and gendarmes located and then detained the nearby drone operator.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for gendarme
Articles Related to gendarme
Dictionary Entries Near gendarme
Cite this Entry
“Gendarme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gendarme. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gendarme
noun
gen·darme
ˈzhän-ˌdärm
also ˈjän-
: a member of a police force especially in France
Etymology
from French gendarme "policeman," derived as a singular form from earlier gensdarmes, gent d'armes, literally, "armed people"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share