Meaning
cop
- a police officer (informal or derogatory term)
In a sentence
Hanno visto arrivare gli sbirri e sono scappati subito.
They saw the cops coming and ran away immediately.
Non parlare con quello sbirro!
Don't talk to that cop!
Nel film poliziesco, lo sbirro indaga da solo.
In the detective movie, the cop investigates on his own.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| sbirro | masculine · singular |
| sbirri | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Informal: usually derogatory or hostile; avoid when addressing police directly.
- Standard neutral terms are 'poliziotto' or 'agente di polizia'.