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

DeSantis and Trump are turning our country into a police state in order to round up those coming to America fleeing extreme poverty, violence and brutal dictatorships. —Howard Simon, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 July 2025

Finally, know that the purpose of Trump’s police state is to silence not just immigrants but the rest of us. —Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2025

In opposition to the ordinance, Berkeley City Councilmember Mark Humbert suggested the ban would require a police state to determine who is using advanced math and a computer to calculate market value. —Will Swaim, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025

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

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