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

Similar to the way Lamar’s performance was laden with symbolism about Black history, life and death under the American police state, Bad Bunny placed cultural tributes in plain sight.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 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

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 • Dec. 16, 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

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