the secret police
noun
: a police organization that is run by a government and that operates in a secret way to control the actions of people who oppose the government
Examples of the secret police in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sharply criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) for comparing immigration enforcement officers under President Trump to the secret police force of Nazi Germany in a commencement speech over the weekend.
—
Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 20 May 2025
Anonymous death threats, conspicuous surveillance and cautionary visits from a representative of the secret police (Ian Hart) soon follow.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 16 May 2025
TikTok is fun and cute, but the secret police of those hostile dictatorships are not.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
The Mukhabarat, the secret police modelled on East Germany's Stasi, exerted control over every aspect of life.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 22 Dec. 2024
New York City resident Chen Jinping, 60, on Wednesday pleaded guilty in connection with the secret police station in Lower Manhattan's Chinatown, according to a release from the DOJ.
—Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
Author Gilles Perrault urged him to emigrate, but attempts to document his story or pressure Poland were thwarted by the secret police.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
Its priests are the censors, the propagandists, the secret police.
—Brooke Singman, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2024
The novel, which Atlantic Monthly Press will release in the United States on Tuesday, follows Eilish, a biologist and mother of four whose busy domestic life in suburban Dublin is shattered when the secret police show up at her home looking for her husband, a senior leader of a teacher’s union.
—Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 20 May 2025
Anonymous death threats, conspicuous surveillance and cautionary visits from a representative of the secret police (Ian Hart) soon follow.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 16 May 2025
TikTok is fun and cute, but the secret police of those hostile dictatorships are not.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2025
The Mukhabarat, the secret police modelled on East Germany's Stasi, exerted control over every aspect of life.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 22 Dec. 2024
New York City resident Chen Jinping, 60, on Wednesday pleaded guilty in connection with the secret police station in Lower Manhattan's Chinatown, according to a release from the DOJ.
—Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
Author Gilles Perrault urged him to emigrate, but attempts to document his story or pressure Poland were thwarted by the secret police.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
Its priests are the censors, the propagandists, the secret police.
—Brooke Singman, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2024
The novel, which Atlantic Monthly Press will release in the United States on Tuesday, follows Eilish, a biologist and mother of four whose busy domestic life in suburban Dublin is shattered when the secret police show up at her home looking for her husband, a senior leader of a teacher’s union.
—Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2023
Cite this Entry
“The secret police.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20secret%20police. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share