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Showing results for police action. Search instead for police captain.
Synonyms

police action

American  

noun

  1. a relatively localized military action undertaken by regular armed forces, without a formal declaration of war, against guerrillas, insurgents, or other forces held to be violating international peace and order.


Etymology

Origin of police action

First recorded in 1880–85

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:

Opposition parties and sections of civil society rallied behind the protesters, while images of police action circulated widely online.

From Barron's Jul. 29, 2026

The government has also agreed not to pursue police action against protesters, the Cockroach Janta Party said in a social-media post.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 25, 2026

Undeterred by the police action and intimidation, the CJP has vowed to press ahead until their demands are met.

From Barron's Jul. 22, 2026

Decisions about where to draw the line determine when an algorithmic suspicion becomes a real-world police action, even though the public rarely sees or debates how those thresholds are set.

From Salon May 12, 2026

Richard was surprised when he heard the announcement that the federal government had declared a police action to bring the rebels to order.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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