law and order
noun
strict control of crime and repression of violence, sometimes involving the possible restriction of civil rights.
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law and order
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law-and-order
law-and-ordernoun(modifier) favouring or advocating strong measures to suppress crime and violence
law and order
Americannoun
law-and-order
British
noun
law and order
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of law and order
First recorded in 1590–1600
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is specifically Holyrood's responsibility to oversee health and social care, education and law and order.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
If he wins, that would give the SNP their fifth consecutive term in charge of devolved public services such as the NHS, education and law and order.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
“In his new role as acting attorney general, Todd will continue to be a tireless advocate for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
Sustainable gains on law and order are years away at best, despite the heroism of Harfuch’s Untouchables.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
“Because then law and order would completely break down.”
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
He said the board also challenged some of the film's factual claims and warned it could trigger law-and-order problems in Punjab.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Rodriguez worries that Kast’s law-and-order hard line could upset the fragile peace that miners have established with indigenous peoples around their mines.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
Some officials hope the law-and-order push will ease Memphis’s reputation as crime-ridden, a stigma the city has carried for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
Instead, he shifted his focus to Memphis, Tenn., as the next stage for his law-and-order theater.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2025
It was the first law-and-order assignment he’d been part of since he had arrived.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
