police power
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of police power
An Americanism dating back to 1820–30
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.
They were not claiming the state’s police power for themselves but acting as though they already had a legitimate claim to ensuring the entire community’s safety.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1904, said it gave the US "international police power" to intervene in countries where there was "wrongdoing".
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
“Historically, when we grant police power or discretion or advanced technologies, they tend to be used in many more situations.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2022
The approved policy does give the police power to use robots for situational awareness, such as going first into a dangerous situation so police can stay back.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
The first was naturally the feudal, the absolutist that would put down by the police power, and failing in that by the soldiery, every attempt at changing the organization of the government.
From Socialism and Democracy in Europe by Samuel P. Orth
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.
