noun · 3 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.
UK:/ˈɒmbədzmən/
US:/ˈɑmbədzmən/
Philippines:/ʔomˈbʊds.mɐn/
Philippines:/ˈʔom-/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:AA1 M B AH0 D Z M AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An appointed official whose duty is to investigate complaints, generally on behalf of individuals such as consumers or taxpayers, against institutions such as companies and government departments.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A designated internal mediator in an organization whose duty is to assist members with conflict resolution and other problems and to serve as an independent consultant to recommend changes to policies or procedures to improve organization effectiveness, efficiency, and humaneness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
a government appointee who investigates complaints by private persons against the government
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: investigator
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Swedish ombudsman (equivalent to ombud (“representative, proxy”) + man), from Old Norse umboðsmaðr.
Across languages
Translations
63 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
أَمِين اَلْمَظَالِم
(ʔamīn al-maẓālim)
— official who investigates complaints
Armenian:
օմբուդսմեն
(ōmbudsmen)
— official who investigates complaints
Armenian:
մարդու իրավունքների պաշտպան
(mardu iravunkʻneri paštpan)
— official who investigates complaints
Bulgarian:
омбудсман
(ombudsman)
— official who investigates complaints
Catalan:
síndic de greuges
— official who investigates complaints
Catalan:
defensor del poble
— official who investigates complaints
Chinese Mandarin:
申訴專員 /申诉专员
(shēnsù zhuānyuán)
— official who investigates complaints
Chinese Mandarin:
調查專員 /调查专员
(diàochá zhuānyuán)
— official who investigates complaints
Czech:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Danish:
ombudsmand
— official who investigates complaints
Dutch:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Faroese:
umboðsmaður
— official who investigates complaints
Finnish:
oikeusasiamies
— official who investigates complaints
Finnish:
välimies
— official who investigates complaints
French:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
French:
médiateur
— official who investigates complaints
French:
protecteur
— official who investigates complaints
Galician:
ragador
— official who investigates complaints
Galician:
meeiro
— official who investigates complaints
Galician:
avindeiro
— official who investigates complaints
Galician:
triquiñón
— official who investigates complaints
Galician:
valedor
— official who investigates complaints
Georgian:
ომბუდსმენი
(ombudsmeni)
— official who investigates complaints
Georgian:
სახალხო დამცველი
(saxalxo damcveli)
— official who investigates complaints
German:
Ombudsmann
— official who investigates complaints
Hindi:
लोकपाल
(lokpāl)
— official who investigates complaints
Hindi:
लोकायुक्त
(lokāyukt)
— official who investigates complaints
Hungarian:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Ido:
mediacanto
— official who investigates complaints
Indonesian:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Japanese:
オンブズマン
(onbuzuman)
— official who investigates complaints
Japanese:
苦情調査官
(kujō chōsakan)
— official who investigates complaints
Kazakh:
омбудсмен
(ombudsmen)
— official who investigates complaints
Korean:
옴부즈만
(ombujeuman)
— official who investigates complaints
Kyrgyz:
омбудсмен
(ombudsmen)
— official who investigates complaints
Macedonian:
народен правобранител
(naroden pravobranitel)
— official who investigates complaints
Macedonian:
омбудсман
(ombudsman)
— official who investigates complaints
Malayalam:
ഓംബുഡ്സ്മാൻ
(ōmbuḍsmāṉ)
— official who investigates complaints
Norwegian Bokmål:
ombudsmann
— official who investigates complaints
Norwegian Nynorsk:
ombodsmann
— official who investigates complaints
Persian:
دادآور
(dâd-âvar)
— official who investigates complaints
Polish:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Polish:
rzecznik
— official who investigates complaints
Portuguese:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Portuguese:
ouvidor
— official who investigates complaints
Romanian:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Russian:
уполномо́ченный по права́м челове́ка
(upolnomóčennyj po pravám čelovéka)
— official who investigates complaints
Russian:
омбудсме́н
(ombudsmén)
— official who investigates complaints
Russian:
омбудсма́н
(ombudsmán)
— official who investigates complaints
Serbo-Croatian:
омбу̀дсман
— official who investigates complaints
Serbo-Croatian:
ombùdsman
— official who investigates complaints
Serbo-Croatian:
pȗčkī pravobrànitelj
— official who investigates complaints
Spanish:
mediador
— official who investigates complaints
Spanish:
defensor del pueblo
— official who investigates complaints
Swedish:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Tajik:
додовар
(dodovar)
— official who investigates complaints
Thai:
ผู้ตรวจการแผ่นดิน
(pûu-dtrùuat-gaan-pɛ̀n-din)
— official who investigates complaints
Turkish:
ombudsman
— official who investigates complaints
Turkish:
kamu denetçisi
— official who investigates complaints
Ukrainian:
омбудсме́н
(ombudsmén)
— official who investigates complaints
Ukrainian:
омбудсма́н
(ombudsmán)
— official who investigates complaints
Urdu:
محتسب
(mohtasib)
— official who investigates complaints
Welsh:
ombwdsmon
— official who investigates complaints
