COPS Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

cops 1 of 2

noun

plural of cop

as in policemen

a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level a cop stopped her for speeding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

civilians

cops

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cop, slang

as in buys

to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for I copped a great outfit for only $50

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grabs

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly some concertgoers rushed pell-mell through the doors so that they could cop the seats down front

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cops

Noun

In the years since Shakur’s murder, what exactly happened in that hail of bullets -- and who pulled the trigger -- was obscured by a lack of physical evidence, feuding cops and the gangland code of silence. — Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 He was pulled over by the cops after his honeypot encounter with Alice, but talked his way out of a DWI and is still on the street. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026 The woman was shot in the back and a 34-year-old man was blasted in the stomach, cops said. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026 Wider parts of the Green Lantern Corps lore are incorporated in the story too, as the series unpacks what the famous space cops are all about. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Clark Morgan walked the regulator and three cops through the building, where officials found nearly five dozen bodies. — Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Swashbuckling adventures and war epics proliferated in the ’30s and ’40s, while things took a turn toward spies, cops, assassins, and sci-fi in later generations. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026 At first, everyone assumes Ji-Seok is on an extended bender or hiding from the cops. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026 Nathan Hochman has been the subject of withering criticism from Mayor Karen Bass, former cops and even some of his own prosecutors. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cops

Noun

People began rioting in Los Angeles’ predominantly Black Watts neighborhood after a crowd watched White policemen forcefully subdue a Black man.

— USA Today, USA Today, 28 July 2026
Over the weekend, dozens of plain-clothes policemen entered the protest site and dragged Wangchuk into an ambulance.

— Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026

Definition of policemen

Verb

Flock Homes, which buys homes that are then pooled in a REIT-style fund, is getting a new headquarters at 1521 Blake St.

— Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 19 Aug. 2026
Veno is the executive director of the Group Insurance Commission, the entity that buys health care for more than 460,000 public employees and retirees in Massachusetts.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of buys

Verb

But his wildly unfiltered speech grabs the attention of beautiful and brash public defender Ginger (Gilpin), herself a crusader for truth.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026
Profanity also grabs attention since the shock value of an F-bomb can lead to more media coverage and clips circulating on social media.

— Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of grabs

Noun

The department said officers responded to a home Friday night in the area of South Main and Mann streets, where they were told that a man climbed through a window and assaulted someone who lives there.

— Logan Hall, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Hegseth has aggressively moved to reshape the military's senior ranks, removing or sidelining more than two dozen senior officers, without explanation, including a number of women and minorities.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of officers

Verb

The nonprofit accepts donations of old electronic devices and also purchases devices for their training efforts.

— Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2026
An American who purchases a home in Switzerland, Germany or the United Kingdom typically finances that home in Swiss francs, euros or pounds — the currency in which the property is priced and in which the taxpayer earns income.

— Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of purchases

Verb

Tyler Clouse / Getty Images Earlier, Twins players and team legends also toured the movie site with several participating in father-son catches.

— Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Be sure to grab a chocolate babka muffin and a slice of whatever the cake of the week is, as well as anything else that catches your eye.

— Kyle Beechey, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of catches

Verb

An Acquisition Chain, Not A One-Off OpenRouter lands on top of a stack Stripe has been assembling piece by piece.

— Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
An indie film with no stars, no distribution machine, no marketing budget, and made by a first-time writer/director somehow lands thousands of theater bookings and then makes more than 10x its budget.

— Justine Bateman, SPIN, 19 Aug. 2026