Phrase guide

cops and robbers

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /kɒps ˈænd ˈɹɒb.ə(ɹ)s/
  • General-American: /kɑps ˈɛnd ˈɹɑ.bɚs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A game played by schoolchildren in which the "robbers" have to steal "gold" and return it to their "base" without being caught by the "cops" and taken to "jail". When in "jail", "prisoners" can be "freed" by other "robbers".

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Qualifier: playground games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 警察抓小媮 /警察抓小偷 (jǐngchá zhuā xiǎotōu) — schoolchildren's game
  • German: Räuber und Gendarm — schoolchildren's game
  • Portuguese: polícia e ladrão — schoolchildren's game