police 1 of 2

noun

Definition of policenext
1
as in law
the department of government that keeps order, fights crime, and enforces statutes the appearance of a ransom note meant that the teenager's disappearance was now a matter for the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in constabulary
a body of officers of the law the National Guard will serve as backup for the metropolitan police in the event of violent protests

Synonyms & Similar Words

police

2 of 2

verb

as in to control

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of police
Noun
The motorcycle overturned and the rider and motorcycle tumbled to a final resting position, where both caught fire, police said. — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2026 Two days after the incident, police arrested 30-year-old Walter Francisco Rodriguez Garcia in connection with the shooting. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
Both of the earlier incidents happened in July, with the second of the two coming to police attention over the weekend. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026 EnCon police with the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to a report of swimmers in distress in Candlewood Lake, according to Will Healey, spokesperson with DEEP. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for police
Recent Examples of Synonyms for police
  1. law
  2. constabulary
  3. control
  4. operate
  5. regulate
  6. conduct
  7. govern
  8. manage
Noun
  • Lyft also doesn’t fingerprint its drivers unless required by law and doesn’t provide adequate background checks, the lawsuit alleged.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The county, which is facing a structural deficit, has signaled a legal challenge to the new law, should Newsom sign it.
    — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of law
Noun
  • Several British constabularies have added EVs to their fleets for urban policing duties, often using models such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The local constabulary said the British Transport Police was leading the investigation.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Definition of constabulary
Verb
  • Western Michigan won the rushing battle and dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Musk plans to integrate Cybercabs, which lack manual controls that passengers could use to take over in an emergency, into the company’s existing cab service, which until now has used only conventional Tesla vehicles.
    — Bernard Condon, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of control
Verb
  • The project is aimed at making hypersonic flight testing faster and more repeatable, addressing one of the major bottlenecks in the development of weapons and other systems designed to operate at speeds above Mach 5.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Hundreds more cameras could be left operating and unaffected throughout the four-county region.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of operate
Verb
  • The panel of three judges nominated by Democratic former President Joe Biden agreed with the plaintiffs that the president does not have the power to regulate states' election policy.
    — NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
  • For stars to form, gas has to be cold and not ionized, so hypersoft X-ray sources could be gently regulating star formation within galaxies.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of regulate
Verb
  • After Sandusky’s conviction, Penn State hired former FBI director Louis Freeh to conduct its internal investigation into how the school responded to McQueary.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Silicon cannot conduct ions; hence, any signal detected by the microscope showed that surface topography generated the measurement artifacts instead of actual ion movement.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of conduct
Verb
  • In 2025, World Tennis, the sport’s world governing body, changed the rules, allowing it essentially everywhere.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • But the administration has also been working to water down historic-preservation rules governing federal projects just as the arch has become subject to that process.
    — Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of govern
Verb
  • No side allowed their opponents more shots across the first two Premier League rounds of the season (44) than Newcastle, and Bournemouth managed another 17 on Saturday, 13 of them during the first half.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Rockies, who managed just a walk through the first four innings, finished with 11 hits.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of manage

Phrases Containing police

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polestars
police
police action
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Cite this Entry

“Police.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/police. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on police

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about police

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