policing
Americannoun
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the act of maintaining public order and security, enforcing the law, or regulating or controlling something, by or as if by members of a police force.
No matter what style is adopted for the policing of a community, officers must use discretion in interpreting the activities of citizens.
Careful family use of the internet doesn't need to be a punitive policing of children's activities online.
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Military. the act of cleaning up a camp or post or of keeping it clean.
After the major’s visit, the policing of the entire camp and all the fighting positions improved 100 percent.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of policing
First recorded in 1830–40; police ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. )
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.
The policing of what we choose to put in our bodies has been — and continues to be — relentless.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
The Met said the risks from the protests meant it had to impose the "highest degree of control", including the first use of live facial recognition cameras as part of a protest policing operation.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
It meant the Met had to stage one of its most significant public order policing operations since the May Day riots of the early 2000s.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Will Iran have some role in policing the Strait of Hormuz after the war ends?
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
He said the poor didn’t need policing; they needed help, and we could give it to them.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
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.
