police state

American  

noun

1. a nation in which the police, especially a secret police, summarily suppresses any social, economic, or political act that conflicts with governmental policy.

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police state British  

noun

1. a state or country in which a repressive government maintains control through the police

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police state Cultural  

1. A nation whose rulers maintain order and obedience by the threat of police or military force; one with a brutal, arbitrary government.

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Etymology

Origin of police state

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

police state

If Times employees sincerely believe that Times management is using AI to run the newspaper like a dystopian police state, can we really expect staff to file perfectly balanced copy on the potential of AI?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

Here, it justifies the creation of a dystopian, paranoid police state because it will make it easier to find someone’s lost dog.

From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026

He’s also enlisted local police, state troopers and private security for the events.

From Salon ● May 5, 2025

Some of the Americans were motivated by evangelical zeal or simply attracted by the mystery of a severely cloistered police state fueled by anti-U.S. hatred.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

But what they didn’t say was that prison was also a microcosm of a totalitarian society, a nearly pure example of the police state.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover