gendarme

noun

gen·​darme ˈzhän-ˌdärm How to pronounce gendarme (audio)
also ˈjän-
Synonyms of gendarmenext
1
: a member of a body of soldiers especially in France serving as an armed police force for the maintenance of public order
2
: police officer

Synonyms of gendarme

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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
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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.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said some 70,000 police officers and gendarmes would be deployed, along with helicopters, armored vehicles and water cannons. — Elitsa Gadeva, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 Nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes were injured, the ministry said. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Leo presided alone over the liturgy and distributed Communion to medical personnel and Vatican gendarmes, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gendarme

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, back-formation from gensdarmes, plural of gent d'armes, literally, armed people

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gendarme was in 1793

Rhymes for gendarme

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Browse Nearby Words

genappe
gendarme
gendarmerie
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Cite this Entry

“Gendarme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gendarme. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

gendarme

noun
gen·​darme ˈzhän-ˌdärm How to pronounce gendarme (audio)
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"

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