posse

American  

[pos-ee] / ˈpɒs i /

noun

1. posse comitatus.

2. a body or force armed with legal authority.

3. Slang. a group of friends or associates.

   hanging out with your posse; a posse of drug dealers.

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posse British  

/ ˈpɒsɪ /

noun

1. Also called: posse comitatus.  the able-bodied men of a district assembled together and forming a group upon whom the sheriff may call for assistance in maintaining law and order

2. law possibility (esp in the phrase in posse )

3. slang a Jamaican street gang in the US

4. informal a group of friends or associates

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Etymology

Origin of posse

First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin posse “power, force,” noun use of Latin infinitive: “to be able, have power,” contraction of potis “able” + esse “to be”; see potent ¹

Explanation

A posse is group of people who help the police force when necessary. In a classic Western movie, when the sheriff gathers together a posse, its members usually work to find and arrest the bad guys. The classic image of a posse is from the Old West, of a group of armed cowboys on horses, in pursuit of an outlaw. Originally the term was posse comitatus, Latin meaning the force of the country. Today, the word posse is used most often to refer to a group of friends or people with some common interest, in a somewhat joking way, like your posse that gets together to hit all the garage sales together.

Example Sentences

While the act suspends Posse Comitatus, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the National Guard or armed forces would involve themselves directly in law-enforcement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Breyer ruled in September that the administration’s deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 statute that prohibits the use of federal forces for domestic law enforcement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

And a law called the Posse Comitatus Act limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025

Breyer sounded the alarm by quoting Democratic Rep. William Kimmel of Maryland, an early proponent of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the military in domestic law enforcement.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2025

You might as well start going to the Confraternity again to keep The Posse away and, worse, the director, Father Gorey.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Related Words

• detachment