self-policing
Americanadjective
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(of a group of people) independently monitoring the behavior of its own members and addressing any failure to abide by established rules or laws.
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(of a system, program, etc.) having a built-in mechanism for detecting and stopping inadmissible actions.
noun
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the act, on the part of a group of people, of independently monitoring the behavior of its own members and addressing any failure to abide by established rules or laws.
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the function of a mechanism built into a system, program, etc., that detects and stops inadmissible actions.
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.
Finra, the industry’s self-policing group, adjudicates disputes among advisers, brokers, investors and institutions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
A friend of Neumann’s who just started a job working in the kitchen of a state-run mental health facility has instead taken to self-policing, he recalled.
From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026
A spokesperson for the commission issued a statement to The Times that called for more self-policing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
The commissioner would be able to investigate integrity threats, free from the conflicts inherent in self-policing.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet, who seemingly fought as often as he scored goals as a highly-productive player, understands the league’s tradition of self-policing.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2023
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.
