posse
Americannoun
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a body or force armed with legal authority.
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Slang. a group of friends or associates.
hanging out with your posse; a posse of drug dealers.
noun
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Also called: posse comitatus. the able-bodied men of a district assembled together and forming a group upon whom the sheriff may call for assistance in maintaining law and order
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law possibility (esp in the phrase in posse )
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slang a Jamaican street gang in the US
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informal a group of friends or associates
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of posse
First recorded in 1575–85; from Medieval Latin posse “power, force,” noun use of Latin infinitive: “to be able, have power,” contraction of potis “able” + esse “to be”; see potent 1
Explanation
A posse is group of people who help the police force when necessary. In a classic Western movie, when the sheriff gathers together a posse, its members usually work to find and arrest the bad guys. The classic image of a posse is from the Old West, of a group of armed cowboys on horses, in pursuit of an outlaw. Originally the term was posse comitatus, Latin meaning the force of the country. Today, the word posse is used most often to refer to a group of friends or people with some common interest, in a somewhat joking way, like your posse that gets together to hit all the garage sales together.
Vocabulary lists containing posse
March: Book Three
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Because They Marched
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A Long Way from Chicago
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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.
Their metallic frames covered in supple, lifelike skin, a posse of new Chinese robots meant for companionship can offer users AI-generated conversation or a hand to hold, complete with manicured nails.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
“Best and Last’s” intro splat-tacular, typically a highlight of each film, hinges on the posse standing still on a moving floor.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
On the way out, a member of McGregor’s posse briefly collapsed in front of me before being rallied by his friends.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
You wouldn't see such gesticulation from a posse of policemen directing traffic at a busy crossroads.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
“I think you’re right. This posse could have walked right over Joe Mondragon and never have known the difference.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
