security police
Americannoun
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a police force responsible for maintaining order at a specific locale or under specific circumstances, as at an airport or factory.
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a police force concerned with detecting and preventing enemy espionage.
Etymology
Origin of security police
First recorded in 1915–20
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.
A Hong Kong bookshop raided by national security police this month announced on Wednesday that it would close after 50 years in business, while another shut down ahead of schedule.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Within a day, security police came to my university to arrest me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
"They were scared that it could be a trap set up by the security police and would say things like, 'We won't accept money from traitors.'"
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2024
Hours into their meeting, they approved a decision to form the party, catching the security police by surprise.
From New York Times ● Jan. 12, 2024
“For instance, did you know there are people in this store—in all department stores, actually—who walk around looking like ordinary customers but are really security police making sure no one is stealing?”
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
