ombudsman Official appointed to safeguard citizens' rights by investigating complaints of injustice made against the government or its employees. The office was created in Sweden in 1809. A number of other countries adopted the office from the mid-1950s onwards, including Britain in 1967. Some UK companies, such as newspapers and banks, employ ombudsmen to handle customer complaints.

om·buds·man / ˈämbədzmən; -ˌboŏdz-/ • n. (pl. -men) an official appointed to investigate individuals' complaints against maladministration, esp. that of public authorities.