police
verb
po·lice
| \ pÉ-ËlÄs
\
\
policed;
policing
Definition of police
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: to control, regulate, or keep in order by use of police
3
: to make clean and put in order
4a
: to supervise the operation, execution, or administration of to prevent or detect and prosecute violations of rules and regulations
b
: to exercise such supervision over the policies and activities of
5
: to perform the functions of a police force in or over
plural police
Definition of police (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: the internal organization or regulation of a political unit through exercise of governmental powers especially with respect to general comfort, health, morals, safety, or prosperity
b
: control and regulation of affairs affecting the general order and welfare of any unit or area
c
: the system of laws for effecting such control
2a
: the department of government concerned primarily with maintenance of public order, safety, and health and enforcement of laws and possessing executive, judicial, and legislative powers
b
: the department of government charged with prevention, detection, and prosecution of public nuisances and crimes
3a
: police force
4a
: a private organization resembling a police force
campus police
b
plural
: the members of a private police organization
5a
: the action or process of cleaning and putting in order
b
: military personnel detailed to perform this function
6
: one attempting to regulate or censor a specified field or activity
the fashion police
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Examples of police in a Sentence
Verb
The officers police the streets for reckless drivers. The coast is policed by the military. The international agency polices the development of atomic energy facilities.Noun
Police arrested a man whom they identified as the murderer. the appearance of a ransom note meant that the teenager's disappearance was now a matter for the police
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Even if brands can register the word, limitations on its use would only apply in specific contexts, in association with a logo or brand name, and any alleged infringements would have to be policed by the trademark holder. — Ephrat Livni, Quartzy, "Brands are clamoring to trademark common words, like âtheâ," 22 Aug. 2019 Besides, some experts argue, a more comprehensive way to police the big tech companies would be with a beefed-up force of regulators. — Steve Lohr, New York Times, "How Should Big Tech Be Reined In? Here Are 4 Prominent Ideas," 20 Aug. 2019 Under fire for widespread abuse and misinformation on its service, Twitter argued on Tuesday that it's taken aggressive steps to police what users post. — Fortune, "Twitter Has Tripled the Number of Workers Policing Its Service In the Past Year," 13 Aug. 2019 Free speech in the real world is still a major problem for tech companies trying to police their platforms for racist or dangerous speech. — Kurt Wagner, Recode, "What happens to free speech when we all live in a virtual world?," 8 Nov. 2018 Thailand already has a Computer Crime Act that polices online media. — Washington Post, "Thailand to set up center to combat âfake newsâ," 21 Aug. 2019 The body was identified Wednesday as that of Leonard Dyck, a Vancouver man who police believe the pair was responsible for murdering as well. — Fox News, "Canada police search last known homes of teens wanted in nationwide murder manhunt," 27 July 2019 The video showed the clerk unlocking the door (the store opens at 6 a.m.) for a man who police now believe is the suspect. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al.com, "South Alabama store clerk shot and killed in early-morning holdup," 24 July 2019 Back in the 1950s, a wave of public sentiment against excessively violent comic books led to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority, which policed comic book content and awarded a stamp to approved material. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Why LGBTQ comic artists are caught up in a free speech tug-of-war, and what theyâre doing about it," 20 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
For example, police say the shooter suspected of killing 22 people at an El Paso Walmart confessed to targeting people of Mexican descent and is believed to have written an anti-Hispanic rant before gunning down mostly Latino shoppers. — Amanda Seitz, Fortune, "False Claims Blur Line Between Mass Shootings, 2020 Politics," 5 Sep. 2019 Overall only 6% of South Bendâs police are black, although 26% of the cityâs population is African-American. — A.r. | Chicago, The Economist, "Why Pete Buttigieg is losing momentum," 4 Sep. 2019 Last spring, police were on the lookout for an armed man who robbed a half dozen King Soopers stores throughout the metro area. — John Aguilar, The Denver Post, "King Soopers asks open-carry customers to leave guns at home," 4 Sep. 2019 Senler herself is also being investigated for a separate incident of assault involving Boateng, so police are eager to try and find out as much as possible about what has transpired between the two. — SI.com, "Jerome Boateng Under Investigation for Aggravated Assault Against Former Fiancee," 4 Sep. 2019 Pool police might not always be around, but if your fellow passengers are violating these norms, donât confront them yourself, says cruise expert Dana Freeman. — Mark Ellwood, CondĂ© Nast Traveler, "Cruise Ship Etiquette Tips: A Primer For Before You Sail," 4 Sep. 2019 The department had appealed to the public on its Facebook page for help in identifying suspects, which led to the arrests, police said. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "West Allis police arrest 3 after rash of BB gun drive-bys," 4 Sep. 2019 Just a few hours before, police said another 25 kilos of cocaine washed ashore on the close-by Cocoa Beach. — Sophie Lewis, CBS News, "Bricks of cocaine wash ashore in Florida after Hurricane Dorian," 4 Sep. 2019 The driver of the Mini, a 27-year-old Los Angeles woman, was not injured in the crash, police said. — Luke Money, Daily Pilot, "Fountain Valley woman, 88, dies over a week after being injured in Huntington Beach crash," 3 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'police.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for police
police
verb
English Language Learners Definition of police
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to control and keep order in (an area) by the use of police or military forces
: to control (something) by making sure that rules and regulations are being followed
police
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of police (Entry 2 of 2)
: the people or the department of people who enforce laws, investigate crimes, and make arrests
See the full definition for police in the English Language Learners Dictionary
poli