police
Americannoun
-
police
plural
-
Also called police force. an organized civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws.
-
(used with a plural verb) members of such a force.
Several police are patrolling the neighborhood.
-
the regulation and control of a community, especially for the maintenance of public order, safety, health, morals, etc.
-
the department of the government concerned with this, especially with the maintenance of order.
-
any body of people officially maintained or employed to keep order, enforce regulations, etc.
-
people who seek to regulate a specified activity, practice, etc..
the language police.
-
Military. (in the U.S. Army)
-
the cleaning and keeping clean of a camp, post, station, etc.
-
the condition of a camp, post, station, etc., with reference to cleanliness.
-
verb (used with object)
-
polices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
policed,
past participle, past
-
policing
present participle
-
to regulate, control, or keep in order by or as if by means of police.
-
Military. to clean and keep clean (a camp, post, etc.)
noun
-
-
the organized civil force of a state, concerned with maintenance of law and order, the detection and prevention of crime, etc
-
( as modifier )
a police inquiry
-
-
(functioning as plural) the members of such a force collectively
-
any organized body with a similar function
security police
-
archaic
-
the regulation and control of a community, esp in regard to the enforcement of law, the prevention of crime, etc
-
the department of government concerned with this
-
verb
-
to regulate, control, or keep in order by means of a police or similar force
-
to observe or record the activity or enforcement of
a committee was set up to police the new agreement on picketing
-
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
-
policesimple
-
policessimple
-
have policedperfect
-
has policedperfect
-
am policingprogressive
-
are policingprogressive
-
is policingprogressive
-
have been policingperfect progressive
-
has been policingperfect progressive
Past
-
policedsimple
-
had policedperfect
-
was policingprogressive
-
were policingprogressive
-
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:
"The police stopped us from leaving and destroyed the boats," explains one.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
"We go to the Nepali police every day to get information on those who have been rescued. We examine photos... published by the police," said volunteer Arun Mehta.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
In 1991 she reached a women's refuge with her two children and reported Allchorne at Sutton police station.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
According to Nepali police, some 294 foreigners have been rescued, most of them Chinese and Indian nationals.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
“You know what, Novis? I think we should continue this conversation at the local police station.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Technically, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department polices its 388 acres, but the distant West Hollywood Station rarely responds to calls, if ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 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
As Uncle Sam polices the two Americas, and John Bull the seas of the world, so the Mikado undertakes to police the sea lanes of the Orient.
From The Canadian Commonwealth by Agnes C. (Agnes Christina) Laut
Visitors are advised to not wander far from the heavily policed capital.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
They policed their own house, enforcing norms of truth-seeking, maintaining scholarly integrity and rigor, and ensuring that students emerged with basic knowledge, employable skills and civic competency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
At first, the Supreme Court policed these discriminatory plans under the 14th and 15th amendments.
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2026
For one, it's hard to know what Chinese people make of so many things because all public conversation and activity is heavily policed.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
The stock market was not only transparent but heavily policed.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Soon those booking photos, and about 400,000 others spanning two decades, are set to vanish from a county website, the latest move across America to rein in the visibility of a well-known mainstay of policing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Around 110 police officer drawn from various Pacific islands will provide security at the forum, the first large-scale demonstration of Pacific-wide cooperation on policing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Legislators advanced bills, backed by California’s powerful trial lawyer trade group, aimed at policing the state’s legal industry, which has been bruised by ‘a wave of inappropriate attorney conduct’ highlighted by The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Burnham said that while he could not make promises, he would be "open to the conversation", and that with "wider policing reform" going on it was a "good time to look at those issues".
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
But even in Los Angeles, a city notorious for bad policing, crime fell at about the same rate as it did in New York once the growth in New York’s police force is accounted for.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
