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peace officer
noun
: a civil officer (such as a police officer) whose duty it is to preserve the public peace
Examples of peace officer in a Sentence
He was arrested for assaulting a peace officer.
Recent Examples on the Web
On Wednesday, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office charged Rodriguez Jalapa with two counts of drunken driving and one count of threatening a peace officer.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
They are considered peace officers in the course of their duties, and are tasked with serving paperwork, such as warrants, writs and notices, on behalf of their courts.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
The suspects faced charges of false imprisonment, refusing to comply with a peace officer, unlawful public assembly, refusing to disperse and obstruction of a street, sidewalk or other place open to the public.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
He was arrested on suspicion of threatening harm against peace officers, a felony, and of a misdemeanor DUI charge.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024
The suspect, who police said threw a metal object that slashed the 2-year-old dog’s snout, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and injuring a peace officer’s animal.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2023
That teen has been charged with impersonating a peace officer and other felonies.
—Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
The car resembled a law enforcement vehicle, leading deputies to be concerned that the suspect may have tried to impersonate a peace officer.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024
The man was booked on suspicion of peeping and obstructing/resisting a peace officer.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peace officer.' 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
1649, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near peace officer
Cite this Entry
“Peace officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peace%20officer. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Legal Definition
peace officer
noun
: a civil officer (as a police officer) whose duty it is to preserve the public peace
More from Merriam-Webster on peace officer
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for peace officer
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