fed

The word “fed” means a federal law-enforcement agent, especially in the US. In plain terms, slang for a federal agent, or more loosely, any cop.

“Fed” is pronounced FEHD (/ˈfɛd/ in IPA).

Here is “fed” used in a sentence: “The feds raided the warehouse at dawn.”

“Fed” is a noun.

“Fed” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Fed” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a federal law-enforcement agent, especially in the US.

In informal American usage, a fed is a federal law-enforcement agent, such as someone from the FBI, DEA, or ATF, as opposed to local or state police. The plural, the feds, often refers to federal authorities in general. The term is casual and appears widely in crime dramas, news, and everyday speech.

A cop is any police officer, usually working at city or state level. A fed is specifically a federal agent, employed by a national agency like the FBI. Feds typically handle crimes that cross state lines or break federal law, while local cops handle everyday policing within their own jurisdiction.

Fed, in the sense of a federal agent, is informal slang. In formal writing you would say federal agent or name the specific agency, such as an FBI special agent. Fed is fine in conversation and journalism but is too casual for official reports, legal documents, or the agents' own job titles.