policy

1 of 2

noun (1)

pol·i·cy ˈpä-lə-sē

plural policies

often attributive

Synonyms of policy next

: prudence or wisdom in the management of affairs

: management or procedure based primarily on material interest

: a definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions

: a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures especially of a governmental body

policy

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural policies

: a writing whereby a contract of insurance is made

: a daily lottery in which participants bet that certain numbers will be drawn from a lottery wheel

: number sense 7a

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

China’s population is in decline and skewing older because of family planning policies launched in the 1970s, as well as increasing income and education, Vox reports. —

Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023 Congressional Republicans argue the U.S. is already over budget and should cut borrowing, although lawmakers have long used the debt ceiling as a tool to achieve policy goals, especially when their party is not in the White House. —

Tristan Bove, Fortune, 17 May 2023 And Obernolte’s Republican affiliation has not stopped some Democrats from wanting to work with him on AI policy, and vice versa. —

Julian Mark, Washington Post, 17 May 2023 The company credited the end of China’s zero-covid policy for the uptick in revenue, specifically citing an increase in domestic video game sales. —

Diego Lasarte, Quartz, 17 May 2023 Today, against this backdrop of loss and displacement, San Francisco is weighing reparations that would compensate Black residents for policies that drove them away and hindered their economic opportunities. —

Tim Arango, New York Times, 16 May 2023 Rhynhart is the former Philadelphia controller and has sought to set herself apart on policy. —

Caroline Linton, CBS News, 16 May 2023 The American Civil Liberties Union sued DHS late Thursday over its new policy limiting asylum at the border, calling it unlawful and seeking a federal court order blocking it. —

Hamed Aleaziz, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2023 There were about 6,300 border encounters on Friday, and 4,200 on Saturday, Mayorkas said, adding the number stood at around 10,000 before the Title 42 policy ended. —

Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 15 May 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English policie, pollecye "art or practice of government, system of government, commonwealth, organization or conduct of affairs, practical skill, prudence," borrowed from Anglo-French policie, pollecie "governance, system of government" (Middle French also, "a political organization, the state, conduct, behavior"), borrowed from Late Latin polītīa "citizenship, political organization, government" — more at police entry 1

Note: The term is a doublet of police entry 1; see note at that entry.

Noun (2)

earlier police, pollecy (in the phrase police/pollecy of assurance, after French pollice d'assurance), borrowed from Middle French police, pollice "certificate, written proof," probably borrowed from Italian polizza, pollizza "receipt, promissory note," alteration of apodissa, appodissa (by absorption of initial a- by the definite article and shift of -d- to a lateral), borrowed from Medieval Latin apodixa, apodissa "receipt," borrowed from Middle Greek apódeixis, going back to Greek, "making known, proof," from apodeik-, stem of apodeíknymi, apodeiknýnai "to point out, make known, prove" + -sis -sis — more at apodictic

Note: The English variant with -cy is presumably assimilation to policy entry 1, ending in a familiar suffix; it appears to have displaced police at an early date. — Middle French police has also been taken as a loan from Old Occitan polissia, itself borrowed from Italian, or directly from Medieval Latin or Greek; the editors of Trésor de la langue française reject this on grounds of the location of the earliest citations. The shift of a dental to a lateral in (apodissa > polizza) is perhaps best explained as direct borrowing into Italian from vernacular Greek, where the dental would have been a voiced interdental fricative; as Italian lacked this sound, it was transferred as an -l- (compare the etymology of pilot entry 1). This alters somewhat the path of transmission in the etymology above, perhaps removing Medieval Latin as an intermediary.