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.

---

police state British  

noun

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of police state

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

The book’s most edifying compilations recount the Soviet people’s unconquerable yearning to live, create and love freely, despite the daily menaces of a police state and deafening propaganda.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is a plan that admits the realities of life in a police state.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This campus has essentially become a police state,” Elisa Pabon, the postdoctoral unit chair for the union, said gesturing to uniformed security guards standing nearby.

From Los Angeles Times

“This is not a police state, it’s a state that provides security,” Ulloa said.

From Seattle Times

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