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

It was justified by the then-government of Indira Gandhi (of the Congress party) to restore law and order following massive opposition protests. —Michael Kugelman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024

Trump’s approval rating on law and order has also shot up. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024

Her family said a lax approach to law and order, coupled with a high recidivism rate, continues to put unsuspecting victims in harm's way. —Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 12 Apr. 2024

More important, permanently uprooting Hamas requires a different government in Gaza, one that can rule for years and, in the process, displace Hamas’s role in providing law and order, social services, and other essentials. —Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024

In October, Kenya agreed to lead a multinational security force and send 1,000 police officers to Haiti to help restore law and order. —Pierre Esperance, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024

Touting ‘law and order,’ DeSantis signs bill allowing homeless camps in South Florida But a Miami Herald review of enforcement of the ordinance raises questions about whether it is being deployed as a tool to improve the lives of homeless people, as city officials have suggested. —Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024

That is a burning question in Kenya, where the government has pledged to send a police contingent to restore law and order in Haiti. —Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Mar. 2024

Aid groups say distribution is impossible in much of Gaza because of hostilities, the difficulty of coordinating with the military and the breakdown of law and order. —Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024

Adjective

Former Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was a hardline, law-and-order politician who critics described as overall punitive. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024

Hill's law-and-order message prevailed over the restorative-justice message of his Democratic opponent in the general election. —Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024

Spitzer has long branded himself as a law-and-order district attorney and has been vocal about the issue of retail and residential theft. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024

Nevertheless, law-and-order advocates across the Americas, including conservatives in America, are hyping the Bukele blueprint as the answer to Latin America’s organized crime pandemic. —Tim Padgett, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024

Then in 2019 the electorate voted in Nayib Bukele on a law-and-order platform. —Eduardo Gamarra, The Conversation, 12 Jan. 2024

Bolstered by big election night wins, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is already mapping a national 2024 battle plan to knock out liberal prosecutors funded by billionaire liberal George Soros and replace them with law-and-order candidates. —Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2023

Not the famously crooked section up over the hill, but the wide gauntlet that jets toward the Golden Gate Bridge through the Marina district: the preppy hood of woo girls and boat guys and early-career Gavin Newsom and largely law-and-order Democrats. —Lauren Smiley, WIRED, 7 Nov. 2023

He was given the post of interior minister, the first politician with Communist roots in that law-and-order post. —Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1839, in the meaning defined above