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
“If Tennessee wishes to exercise its police power in restricting speech it considers obscene, it must do so within the constraints and framework of the United States Constitution,” Judge Parker wrote in the order.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
“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 police power is a 'conciliatory phrase' to cover the fact that if the infringement is not very big it will be sustained.
From The New Irish Constitution by Morgan, J. H.
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.
