# Harman

/ˈhɑɹmən/ (US) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/harman
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Definition

an old word for a police officer or a judge. It was used hundreds of years ago by criminals to talk about the law.

For teachers: an archaic slang term for a constable or a member of the watch. Historically used in the canting language of thieves and vagabonds.

## Examples

- The thief ran away when he saw the harman coming.
- In the old stories of London's underworld, the beggars would warn each other to hide whenever a harman was spotted nearby.
- The use of 'harman' in early modern criminal cant illustrates how marginalized groups developed specialized vocabularies to discuss law enforcement without being understood by the general public.

## Usage notes

- Archaic and historical; primarily found in 16th and 17th-century literature or historical fiction about that period.

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