Ombudsman Meaning
/ˈɒmbədzmən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn 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.
nounA 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.
Sentence Examples
"Ombudsman" is one of the widely used words that have been borrowed from Swedish.
Tom is an ombudsman.
Where's the office of the ombudsman, please?
CEFR Practice Quiz
A citizen filed a complaint with the ____ to investigate the government agency.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ investigated the complaint against the government agency and found evidence of misconduct.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Swedish ombudsman (equivalent to ombud (“representative, proxy”) + man), from Old Norse umboðsmaðr.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""All the Nordic ombudsmen have the same view: that circumcision of boys should not be done until the boy is old enough to decide himself if is something he wants to do,” Anne Lindboe, Norway's Ombudsman for Children, told DW."
— 2014 April 30, Lars Bevanger, “Circumcision row”, in DW:
"The ombudsman found that youth living at El Pueblo remained under the care and supervision of staff who had been accused of abusing them. In one case, a youth was reportedly dragged across the carpet by two staff members, resulting in rugburns on his face."
— 2019 August 13, “A Pueblo center for troubled kids had 243 abuse allegations in the year before it closed”, in The Colorado Sun:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A citizen filed a complaint with the ____ to investigate the government agency.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ investigated the complaint against the government agency and found evidence of misconduct.