police force

noun

: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime

Synonyms of police force

• police
• constabulary

Examples of police force in a Sentence

He joined the local police force.

mobilized practically the entire police force to track down the escaped criminal

Recent Examples on the Web

At the time, Kansas City police chief and former FBI agent Lear Reed was on a campaign to clean up the police force and remove the lingering influences of Pendergast. —Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026

During the men’s Euros in 2024, police forces reported 351 incidents of domestic abuse as being football-related. —Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026

Some drivers who speed through Aledo have learned the hard way that the small city in Parker County now has its own police force. —Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2026

Now Pennsuco is little more than a name on a map, an incorporated city with a town council but no police force or utilities. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for police force

• bourse
• coarse
• course
• gorse
• hoarse
• horse
• norse
• source
• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce

Kids Definition

police force

noun

: a body of officers trained and entrusted by a government to keep public peace, enforce laws, and prevent and detect crime

Legal Definition

police force

noun

: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime