Scotland Yard

American  

noun

1. a short street in central London, England: formerly the site of the London police headquarters, which were removed 1890 to a Thames embankment (New Scotland Yard ).

2. the metropolitan police of London, especially the branch engaged in crime detection.

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Scotland Yard British  

noun

1. Official name: New Scotland Yard.  the headquarters of the police force of metropolitan London, controlled directly by the British Home Office and hence having certain national responsibilities

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Etymology

Origin of Scotland Yard

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Scotland Yard said 32 people had been arrested and 24 charged, in connection with one gang, and more than 1,000 phones and 200 laptops had been recovered.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard expects to spend the holiday in London—until he’s assigned, at the last moment, to investigate an incident in snowy Kent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Roy Ramm, former commander of specialist operations at New Scotland Yard, said it was a "very serious error".

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2025

Financial investigators working in a specialised counter-terrorism unit at Scotland Yard had been tracking a series of suspicious transactions between the Middle East and London.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2025

“Meanwhile Abelman has Scotland Yard at our throats.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole