police
Americannoun
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police
plural
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Also called police force. an organized civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws.
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(used with a plural verb) members of such a force.
Several police are patrolling the neighborhood.
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the regulation and control of a community, especially for the maintenance of public order, safety, health, morals, etc.
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the department of the government concerned with this, especially with the maintenance of order.
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any body of people officially maintained or employed to keep order, enforce regulations, etc.
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people who seek to regulate a specified activity, practice, etc..
the language police.
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Military. (in the U.S. Army)
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the cleaning and keeping clean of a camp, post, station, etc.
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the condition of a camp, post, station, etc., with reference to cleanliness.
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verb (used with object)
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polices,
present (3rd person singular)
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policed,
past participle, past
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policing
present participle
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to regulate, control, or keep in order by or as if by means of police.
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Military. to clean and keep clean (a camp, post, etc.)
noun
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the organized civil force of a state, concerned with maintenance of law and order, the detection and prevention of crime, etc
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( as modifier )
a police inquiry
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(functioning as plural) the members of such a force collectively
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any organized body with a similar function
security police
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archaic
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the regulation and control of a community, esp in regard to the enforcement of law, the prevention of crime, etc
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the department of government concerned with this
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verb
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to regulate, control, or keep in order by means of a police or similar force
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to observe or record the activity or enforcement of
a committee was set up to police the new agreement on picketing
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to make or keep (a military camp, etc) clean and orderly
Pronunciation
Many English words exemplify the original stress rule of Old English and other early Germanic languages, according to which all parts of speech except unprefixed verbs were stressed on the first syllable, and prefixed verbs were stressed on the syllable immediately following the prefix. Although the scope of this rule has been greatly restricted by the incorporation into English of loanwords that exhibit other stress patterns, the rule has always remained operative to some degree, and many loanwords have been conformed to it throughout the history of English. For South Midland and Midland U.S. speakers in particular, shifting the stress in borrowed nouns from a noninitial syllable to the first syllable is still an active process, yielding for police and for Detroit, as well as cement, cigar, guitar, insurance, umbrella, and idea said as , , , , , and .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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policesimple
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policessimple
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have policedperfect
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has policedperfect
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am policingprogressive
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are policingprogressive
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is policingprogressive
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have been policingperfect progressive
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has been policingperfect progressive
Past
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policedsimple
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had policedperfect
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was policingprogressive
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were policingprogressive
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had been policingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of police
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French: “government, civil administration, police,” from Late Latin polītia “citizenship, government,” from Latin polītīa; see polity
Explanation
The word police refers to the members of a law enforcement organization, or to the organization itself. If you see a crime being committed, you should call the police. The job of the police is to protect citizens and enforce laws. You might see police patrolling parks or maintaining order at large gatherings, like concerts and demonstrations. As a verb, to police is to enforce laws or keep a watchful eye on things. Actual police officers might police a political protest, while teachers are sometimes called upon to police school dances and parties.
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:
A quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found during searches of the three vans near RAF Fairford in the west of England, counter-terror police have said.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
A person has been detained for questioning in connection with the case, police said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
British counterterror police said the seized material in black drums wasn’t workable explosives, though they haven’t identified the material.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
There were no performative photo-ops with politicians or any ride-alongs with police.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
Two police officers are helping someone get out of the back of the car.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The company has faced scrutiny over how it polices content and users on its site, who in theory must be 18 or over.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
“Not all term polices have conversion features,” Harrison said.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026
“Who polices the streets? Who secures the weapons and military installations and nuclear sites? Who patrols the border with Iraq and Afghanistan? The protesters?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
It polices remedies and the finality of convictions, not the enforceability of unconstitutional laws going forward.
From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2026
One section polices the camp within the company police limits.
From Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917 to be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by U. S. War Department
Compliance would be policed for 10 years by an independent auditor chosen jointly by Meta and the states, and paid for by the company.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
It was the era of “Urban Cowboy” and purity was being policed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“It is great to see…the fans being policed according to their behavior, not an outdated reputation,” said chief constable Mark Roberts, head of the UKFPU.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
And as the pit-lane speed limit is policed by the time taken to pass through a series of timing loops over a specific distance, that meant the drivers were wrongly penalised.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
They corrected each others work and policed their ranks like soldiers against tardiness, sloppy appearance, and the perception of loose morals.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Not for the first time parading, policing and power-sharing are colliding and finding the route out of this row isn't yet obvious.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Waller said in an interview after the presentation that misinformation about the cameras is rampant online, and he called automated license plate readers a helpful and natural improvement in policing.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
“For violent and property offences, the reduction in prison admissions corresponds primarily with substantial declines in crime rates, not changes in policing or case processing,” the authors note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
State Senate President Monique Limón of Santa Barbara said the state had made a “meaningful investment” in communities hosting the games — pointing to the $20 million for transportation and another $10 million for policing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The new age of scientific policing was built on numbers.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
