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

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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

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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

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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

Robert Karroll was shot in his ballistic vest by an 18-year-old gunman who approached the officer’s unmarked vehicle in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, cops said. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026 The cops posted outside of the nearby Swarovski and PINK stores are similarly unwilling to entertain my interrogations. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 July 2026 Fans were originally split along the side of the hotel and in a pavilion across the street, with several cops asking them to stay away from the streetcar tracks and to allow cars to pass. — Julianna Mejia, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026 Like in the original film, Kyoko is often a couple steps ahead of the police, recording an initial interview with the Human Vapor (played by model UTA) before the cops arrive to arrest him. — Rory Doherty, Time, 3 July 2026 Applying a three-part process, cops worked with Google to narrow down the list of suspects and eventually arrested Okello Chatrie, who had opted in to share his location with Google every few minutes. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026 Supporters of the model note that many fatal interactions with cops stem from mental health crises, which behavioral clinicians are better trained at deescalating than law enforcement. — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026 Ten thousand cops were deployed to the financial district; access for paradegoers was limited to twenty-three checkpoints. — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 20 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cops

Noun

My grand plan was to be one of the policemen in one of the episodes.

— Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 21 June 2026
Disgruntled, the policemen stormed out of the house.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

Definition of policemen

Noun

In one case, a 20-year-old man was caught in a sting operation after anti-corruption officers turned up posing as buyers.

— Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
At the scene, officers found spent shell casings and damage to a vehicle believed to have been struck by gunfire.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026

Definition of officers

Verb

The company is also evolving its Pay Per Crawl experiment into a broader Pay Per Use model, where publishers could be paid when their content appears in an AI result or when an agent purchases premium information for a specific task.

— Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
China currently purchases roughly 90% of Iran's oil exports, with teapots accounting for the bulk of China's imports.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 23 June 2026

Definition of purchases

Verb

Your hyperactive dog catches the scent of a deer and, powered by his hunter's instinct, disappears in the forest.

— Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 July 2026
Made from mulberry silk with a satin finish, the dress has a natural gleam and catches the light just a touch, setting it apart from other styles in the room.

— Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Definition of catches

Noun

Troopers and Beacon Falls constables responded to the home and detained Drozdowski, state police said.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026
Off stage, Benedick and Beatrice spar their way toward the aisle, while our bumbling constables take center stage.

— Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2026

Definition of constables

Verb

Lindsay Landman, a luxury event planner with over 20 years of experience in the sector, suggests a total that lands somewhere within the range of $20 to $25 million.

— Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026
Golden State, like the rest of the NBA, is waiting to see where James lands for his 24th season while turning 42 in December.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026