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

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

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

From Salon ● May 5, 2025

Stone & Son, which then called the driver and told him to pull over and wait for police, state police said.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

To maintain his power, Hitler quickly turned Germany into a police state.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple