bobby

noun

ˈbä-bē How to pronounce bobby (audio)
Definition of bobbynext
British
as in policeman
a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level asked a passing London bobby for directions

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 bobby Indeed, the iconic image of the unarmed British bobby was a product of this trust. — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 11 June 2026 The great theme of the recent Tory conference was providing reassurance—putting more bobbies on the beat, building more hospitals, raising the minimum wage and otherwise spraying money all over the place. — The Economist, 12 Oct. 2019 The 65-year-old actor plays Moose, a childlike man who appears to eke out a living as a Hollywood street performer, portraying a mustachioed British bobby on the sidewalks of Tinseltown, collecting tips from tourists. — Michael O'Sullivan, chicagotribune.com, 27 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bobby
  1. policeman
  2. cop
  3. officer
  4. constable
Noun
  • Onlookers and policemen rushed to the balloon’s basket to find the three men lying crumpled on the ground.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of policeman
Noun
  • And a rookie cop confronts an otherworldly threat in a remote Korean village.
    — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • After becoming friends with director Hal Ashby, Skerrit appeared in Harold and Maude (1971) as a motorcycle cop.
    — Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of cop
Noun
  • According to the district’s chief business officer Gerardo Castillo, Sac City Unified’s initial report included only its 2025-26 expenditures and left out spending from 2024-25.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Mike Krieger, Anthropic’s chief product officer and an advisor at Collective[i], summed it up in a single line.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of officer
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

bobbling
bobby
bobby socks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bobby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bobby. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bobby

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bobby

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 milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All