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
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:
"My anxiety is, decent people start believing these lies, this dystopian image of London being in decline, that we're a dangerous city, that there is no law and order," he said.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
If he supports law and order, they don’t have to be antipolice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Also a former justice minister, Dati wants to boost law and order by giving weapons to municipal police officers and increasing video surveillance.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
On Wednesday, appearing at the White House for a Black History Month reception, the president told us we need law and order.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
But Habib had been set on returning, convinced that refugees like Amin and Nilufer would return once the Taliban brought law and order.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
Reform, which is leading in nationwide polls, ran on a law-and-order ticket and promised lower taxes on business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 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
Bianco, a law-and-order conservative, becomes the highest profile Republican to join a race already crowded with Democrats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
The Stade de France was the scene of a dangerous breakdown in law-and-order at a Uefa Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in 2022.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
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.
