police state

noun

: a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures

Examples of police state in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its vision for America reeks of elements of an authoritarian police state where basic civil liberties are not protected. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025

Trump has embarked on a nationwide agenda to expand the police state, with dire consequences for our communities. —Rod Adams, Essence, 25 May 2025

In an arrest affidavit obtained by WSB-TV, police state that Hill, 29, rubbed the hair, head, back and shoulders of a female student on six different occasions. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 10 May 2025

Nonetheless, the current and former officials said rampant fentanyl trafficking could not continue without at least the passive complicity of the world’s most powerful police state. —Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for police state

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

police state

noun

: a state in which the activities of the people are under the power of the government often acting through a secret police force