Etimology
From Middle French police, from Latin polītīa (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy and polity.
noun
police pl (normally plural, singular police)
A public agency charged with enforcing laws and maintaining public order, usually being granted special privileges to do so, particularly [from 18th c.]
(usually plural only) The staff of such a department or agency, particularly its officers; (regional, chiefly US, Caribbean, Jamaica, Scotland, countable) an individual police officer. [from 19th c.]
(figuratively, usually ironic and mildly derogatory) People who try to enforce norms or standards as if granted authority similar to the police.
(military, slang) Cleanup of a military facility, as a formal duty.
(archaic, now rare) Synonym of administration, the regulation of a community or society. [from 17th c.]
(obsolete) Alternative form of policy. [15th–19th c.]
(obsolete) Alternative form of polity, civilization, a regulated community. [16th–19th c.]
Examples
There are nine Principles of Police:...7 To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen, in the interests of community welfare and existence.
‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […] ? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?
In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.
Citadel Security is a volunteer police service answering to the Citadel Council. The 200,000 constables of C-Sec are responsible for maintaining public order in the densely populated Citadel.
The rally on Sunday in Victoria Park, in the Causeway Bay district, was authorized in advance by the police. But protesters were also expected to begin marching later in the day from Sham Shui Po, a working-class neighborhood on the Kowloon peninsula, across the harbor from North Point. The police rejected their application for a permit.
Call the police!
There’s only one police in this town.
The Cook County Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction across most of Chicago but focuses on the unincorporated area and tasks like prisoner transport, leaving the rest to the Chicago Police Department.
Scotland Yard is, technically speaking, only the metropolitan police for Greater London but because of their importance they have special jurisdiction for some crimes across the United Kingdom.
Pearlman: Very clever, Lester. You got it all figured, huh?Freamon: Me? I'm just a police.
This time it is the worst kind of call a murder police can get.
Who called the fashion police?
Then there were the taste police, who thought that this bulky modern machine was an inappropriate intrusion […]
A major drama has broken out in France after the local language police decreed one of their cute little accents to be largely redundant
Q. […] What did you do that day? — A. I was cleaning up around quarters.Q. You had been on guard and went on police duty? You were policing, cleaning up around the barracks? — A. Yes, sir.
The notion of ‘police’ – that is, rational administration – was seen as a historical force which could bring civilized improvement to societies.
Related words
synonyms
(law enforcement agency): See Thesaurus:police
(law enforcement officers): See Thesaurus:police officer
related terms
policy
polis
politic
political
politically
politician
politicisation
politicise
politicization
politicize
politics
polity
verb
police (third-person singular simple present polices, present participle policing, simple past and past participle policed)
(transitive) To enforce the law and keep order among (a group).
(transitive, intransitive, military, slang) To clean up an area.
(transitive, figurative) To enforce norms or standards upon.
Examples
Extra security was hired to police the crowd at the big game.
Smith returns in Men In Black 3 as a veteran agent of a secret organization dedicated to policing the earth’s many extraterrestrials.
Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector. Governments have to find the best people to fill important jobs: there is a limited supply of people who understand the financial system, for example.
Train operators were reluctant to speak to RAIL on the record, but one responded: "The unions are rightly very clear that they don't want staff policing face coverings after the removal of legal backing.
This comes to him through the company housekeeping, for in the field each organization takes care of itself, cooks its own food, makes its own beds, does its own policing ; […]
Q. […] What did you do that day? — A. I was cleaning up around quarters.Q. You had been on guard and went on police duty? You were policing, cleaning up around the barracks? — A. Yes, sir.
ELIAS: Police up your extra ammo and frags, don't leave nothing for the dinks.
"Fire off several rounds in a residential building and stop to police the brass?"
to police a person's identity