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Definition of ombuds

ombuds

/ˈɑːm.bədz/
om · buds
Plural:ombuds
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ombuds Lexical Profile

• noun

1

An official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against a company, university, or public organization, working neutrally and confidentially to resolve disputes; an ombudsman.

Example

"Students who feel they have been graded unfairly can schedule a confidential meeting with the university ombuds."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for ombuds

Word Nuance & Usage

"Ombuds" is widely used in North American academic and corporate settings as a gender-neutral clipping of "ombudsman," and is frequently used attributively in phrases like "ombuds office."

• Nearby Words

oman
omani
ombre
ombuds
ombudsman
ombudsperson
omdurman

Word Origin & Etymology

Shortened in the late 20th century from "ombudsman," borrowed from Swedish ombudsman (meaning "representative" or "legal proxy"), ultimately from Old Norse umboðsmaðr.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Ombuds. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/ombuds
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