G-man
Americannoun
plural
G-mennoun
-
slang an FBI agent
-
a political detective
Etymology
Origin of G-man
First recorded in 1920–25; probably representing Government man
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Robert Mueller, who ran the FBI from 2001 to 2013, was known to adhere to Hoover’s G-man dress code of white shirts and dark suits, admonishing agents who wore something more colorful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
Law professor John Q. Barrett, who was an associate independent counsel during the Iran-Contra investigation, described Mueller to the Times as “rooted in the Justice Department” and possessed of “a kind of G-man temperament.”
From Salon • May 30, 2019
Strzok has always seemed to live a life fit for a G-man movie.
From Washington Post • Aug. 13, 2018
Comey's odd mix of G-man dispassion, unexpected emotion and very un-FBI-ish high-school slang made for a fascinating and downright entertaining TV event.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2018
And there is scarcely a G-man or a Special Agent anywhere without a very firm opinion on that topic.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Sterling, Bruce
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
