police force

noun

: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime

Synonyms of police force

• police
• constabulary

Examples of police force in a Sentence

He joined the local police force.

mobilized practically the entire police force to track down the escaped criminal

Recent Examples on the Web

The brothers said their father, a strong supporter of the police force, donated to the National Police Defense Foundation and at one time wanted to be an NYPD officer himself. —Mark Prussin, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026

The Guardia di Finanza, Italy's financial police force, said the ship was discovered in June 2025, though officials kept the find confidential until now. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026

Two hundred of our police forces have been killed by those terrorist elements. —ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026

Anyone appointed to the military police force has to complete army or air military police occupational training, according to the bill. —Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for police force

• bourse
• coarse
• course
• gorse
• hoarse
• horse
• norse
• source
• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce

Kids Definition

police force

noun

: a body of officers trained and entrusted by a government to keep public peace, enforce laws, and prevent and detect crime

Legal Definition

police force

noun

: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime