Gestapo

[ guh-stah-poh; German guh-shtah-poh ]

noun

1. the German state secret police during the Nazi regime, organized in 1933 and notorious for its brutal methods and operations.

adjective

1. (sometimes lowercase) of or resembling the Nazi Gestapo, especially in the brutal suppression of opposition:

   The new regime is using gestapo tactics.

Gestapo

/ ɡeˈʃtaːpo; ɡɛˈstɑːpəʊ /

noun

1. the secret state police in Nazi Germany, noted for its brutal methods of interrogation

Gestapo

1. The secret police of the Third Reich in Germany . The Gestapo operated against Germans suspected of treason by using brutal interrogation and torture; they instilled widespread fear by their terrorist methods.

Notes

Figuratively, any brutal secret police organization may be called a “gestapo.”

“Gestapo tactics” in general are intimidating official procedures.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gestapo¹

< German Ge ( heime ) Sta ( ats ) po ( lizei )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gestapo¹

from German Ge ( heime ) Sta ( ats ) po ( lizei ), literally: secret state police

Example Sentences

The French police supplied the trucks; the Gestapo, the men.

From The Daily Beast

On April 25, 1941, the Gestapo moved into the building and I had to give all the keys to the Germans.

From The Daily Beast

The director of the Gestapo answered only to Heinrich Himmler, and Himmler, only to the Fuhrer himself.

From The Daily Beast

Still, at its largest in 1944, the Gestapo had only 31,000 agents to fulfill its grim brief across all of occupied Europe.

From The Daily Beast

All over Europe, the Gestapo orchestrated mass killings on a daily basis.

From The Daily Beast

This new role of dodging the Gestapo appealed enormously to his comic strip sense of melodrama.

From Project Gutenberg

He never knows when the hand of the German Gestapo may drop on his shoulder.

From Project Gutenberg

But there are lots and lots of other Gestapo rats still alive and kicking.

From Project Gutenberg

Three Gestapo rats are dead and gone out of the picture for us.

From Project Gutenberg

You see, we hope that you two will be able to draw the Gestapo away from Jones.

From Project Gutenberg