self-policing

1 of 2

noun

self-po·​lic·​ing ˌself-pə-ˈlē-siŋ How to pronounce self-policing (audio)
: the act or action of supervising the activities or policies of one's own group in order to prevent or detect and address violations of rules and regulations without outside enforcement
the industry's efforts at self-policing
But there is no easy answer, other than rigorous self-policing by users.Jim Kerstetter
Not all march organizers agree that self-policing is necessary or, even, appropriate.The Oregonian

self-policing

2 of 2

adjective

: having, involving, or engaging in self-policing
self-policing forums
a self-policing community
the group's self-policing system/policy

Examples of self-policing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But in the long run, Xi might find that the burdens of this top-down, self-policing approach are too much to bear for Beijing's most powerful. John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2013 The Justices rely on self-policing mechanisms to uphold ethical standards and maintain the integrity of the court. Nik Popli, TIME, 30 May 2024 In Nashville, Tennessee, hot chicken is a self-policing thing—places that fake the fire don't tend to stay in business very long. Timothy Charles Davis, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024 Part of the problem is that the Supreme Court is largely self-policing, and some of them are doing a very bad job of it. Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-policing.' 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

Noun

1933, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-policing was in 1898

Dictionary Entries Near self-policing

Cite this Entry

“Self-policing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-policing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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