posse

American  

[pos-ee] / ˈpɒs i /

noun

• posses
  plural

1. posse comitatus.

2. a body or force armed with legal authority.

3. Slang. a group of friends or associates.

   hanging out with your posse; a posse of drug dealers.

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posse British  

/ ˈpɒsɪ /

noun

1. 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

2. law possibility (esp in the phrase in posse )

3. slang a Jamaican street gang in the US

4. informal a group of friends or associates

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• posses
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

posse posses

Breakdance posse The Rock Steady Crew are introduced with a blast of the Apache drumbeat.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

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

But for now, no other posse of stocks has come to take their place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

It was dawn; it was time to start hunting Joe Mondragon. frjK* While the posse moved tensely on foot into the Midnight Mountains, Milagro began its day in the same old way.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Plans for ashes left over from cremations are also part of the proposal, with the commission alleging that funeral directors posses "hundreds of thousands of sets of ashes which have not been collected".

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2024

Thon’s scouting report: Ponce, 17, is a 5-foot-10, right-handed hitting utility player who will mostly concentrate on catching and posses a high on-base offensive profile.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

Butler would need the help of the groups and people she met this week to make up the enormous fundraising advantage both Schiff and Porter posses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2023

In this week’s “The Last of Us,” Joel and Ellie spend a fair amount of the episode riding horses, shooting guns and facing down posses, just like those western heroes.

From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2023

They had six hours until their disappearance was discovered and another one or two before the posses reached where they were now.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• detachment