police court

noun

: a court of record that has jurisdiction over various minor offenses (such as breach of the peace) and the power to bind over for trial in a superior court or for a grand jury persons accused of more serious offenses

Examples of police court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The police court records also describe officers finding the machine gun in Gadson-Scott’s attic that matched the style used in the murder. Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 27 May 2023 Complaints were sworn to yesterday for 171 alleged violators of the traffic laws, who will be brought into police court this morning and punished if they are found guilty. Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Aug. 2021 Vicente Cirildo Guerra, 43, was arraigned Wednesday in Deschutes County Circuit Court in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting that occurred feet from where the suspect worked as a barber, according to police court records. oregonlive, 30 Jan. 2020 Alexander Mullowney, a police court judge in Washington, DC, urged women to protect themselves on the streets and promised them impunity in his courtroom. Longreads, 10 Jan. 2018 Godwin, who has a police court record, was sentenced to five months on the chain gang by Recorder Ivey this morning. The Root, 3 Nov. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'police court.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of police court was in 1762

Dictionary Entries Near police court

Cite this Entry

“Police court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police%20court. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Legal Definition

police court

noun
: a court of record in some states that has jurisdiction over various minor offenses and the power to bind over those accused of more serious offenses

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