law and order

1 of 2

noun

: the enactment of laws (see law entry 1 sense 1a(1)) and their strict enforcement by police and the courts

He has touted his conservative approach to local government, emphasizing law and order and conservative fiscal policies.

—Andrew Quintana and Daniela Flamini

But Rucker said Deters' view of law and order can be inconsistent. He pointed to Deters' decision to not pursue charges against former Bengal Adam "Pacman" Jones, who was accused in 2017 of spitting on a jail nurse—a felony crime, Rucker said.

—Kevin Grasha

also : the safe, civil, and orderly functioning of society viewed especially as a result of the enactment and strict enforcement of laws

"We're looking to you, Councillor, and to the other leading citizens, to help us in upholding law and order in this township."

—Arthur Conan Doyle

Another thing that impressed itself upon me throughout England was the high regard that all classes have for law and order, and the ease and thoroughness with which everything is done.

—Booker T. Washington

It is both wrong and dangerous to threaten to deploy American soldiers against American citizens unless there is a complete breakdown of law and order in a state and the governor requests that assistance.

—William Perry

law-and-order

2 of 2

adjective

law-and-or·​der ˈlȯ-ən(d)-ˈor-dər 

: relating to, characterized by, or advocating the enactment of laws and their strict enforcement

All these years, I've thought of Henry Hyde as a law-and-order kind of guy. A real hardnose when it comes to punishing those who break the law.

—Mike Royko

… all four dissenters were recent appointees of Richard Nixon, who had won the White House with a carefully orchestrated law-and-order campaign.

—David Oshinsky

Simon Kuper … says the Dutch public is more receptive than ever to law-and-order policies. The murders of Fortuyn in 2002 and Theo van Gogh, a controversial filmmaker in 2004, left the Dutch with a profound fear of chaos and disorder, and a negative self-image.

—Thijs Niemantsverdriet

Examples of law and order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As information becomes more accessible, conversations in online communities like Reddit, TikTok and YouTube have changed how the public experiences law and order, experts say. —Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 10 May 2025

Nobody’s ever escaped from Alcatraz, and just represented something strong having to do with law and order. —Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025

Adjective

This return to immigration law-and-order was the foremost promise of his 2024 campaign. —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

Mega-rich crypto backers and companies, critical of the SEC’s law-and-order approach to crypto under President Joe Biden, poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Trump’s campaign coffers last year. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for law and order

• boarder
• border
• corder
• warder
• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder