alderman

American  

[awl-der-muhn] / ˈɔl dər mən /

noun

plural

aldermen

1. a member of a municipal legislative body, especially of a municipal council.

2. (in England) one of the members, chosen by the elected councilors, in a borough or county council.

3. Early English History.

   1. a chief.

   2. (later) the chief magistrate of a county or group of counties.

4. Northern U.S. Slang. a pot belly.

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alderman British  

/ ˌɔːldəˈmænɪk, ˈɔːldəmən /

noun

1. (in England and Wales until 1974) one of the senior members of a local council, elected by other councillors

2. (in the US, Canada, Australia, etc) a member of the governing body of a municipality

3. history a variant spelling of ealdorman

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alderman Cultural  

1. A member of a city council. Aldermen usually represent city districts, called wards, and work with the mayor to run the city government. Jockeying among aldermen for political influence is often associated with machine politics.

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Gender

Is alderman gender-neutral? See -man.

Other Word Forms

• aldermancy noun
• aldermanic adjective
• aldermanry noun
• aldermanship noun
• underalderman noun

Etymology

Origin of alderman

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English (e)aldormann, equivalent to ealdor “chief, patriarch” ( eald old + -or noun suffix) + mann man

Explanation

An alderman is a member of a city or town government. The city of Chicago is governed by a group of 50 aldermen. In Anglo-Saxon England, an alderman was a royal official who made laws or served in the military. The word is from a root that means "patriarch" or "old man," and these long-ago aldermen were, in fact, exclusively male. Today a board of aldermen is basically the same as a city council, consisting of elected representatives who govern a town or city. Many places have begun using the more inclusive term alderperson to refer to these legislators.

Example Sentences

But they held government-related positions, such as a Wisconsin alderman who resigned after he was identified as a member.

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2025

Michael Madigan, the former Illinois House Speaker, and Ed Burke, the longtime alderman, are serving federal sentences for corruption after running law firms focused on property-tax appeals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Later came Frank Keenan, a former Chicago alderman who bought the hotel in 1952 and in 1957 was convicted in Illinois of federal income tax evasion.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

Conyears-Ervin, who has backing from the influential Chicago Teachers Union, leads in fundraising and is married to a city alderman, says her perspective as a working mother resonates with voters.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 16, 2024

A precinct captain, an alderman, a lawyer, or a United States representative, probably.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones