police force

noun

Definition of police forcenext
as in police
a body of officers of the law mobilized practically the entire police force to track down the escaped criminal

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 police force There are parallels to the Epstein saga; tensions between an insular, blue-collar police force and federal agents with elite educations; systemic corruption; office politics. — Judy Berman, Time, 27 July 2026 On Sunday, Infantino thanked the host countries, the police forces and volunteers for ensuring safety and security. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 27 July 2026 In plain English, the military is not a national police force. — James Robenalt, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026 The plot involves Brian trying to get out of an emotional and psychological rut by volunteering to be a drug-sniffing dog for the local police force. — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for police force
Recent Examples of Synonyms for police force
  1. police
  2. constabulary
Noun
  • Officials asked potential witnesses or anyone with information to contact police.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The state's high court also upheld the Fifth Judicial District Court’s ruling that surveillance video showing Trevizo inside the hospital and any body camera footage captured by police were also not admissible in court.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of police
Noun
  • Several British constabularies have added EVs to their fleets for urban policing duties, often using models such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The local constabulary said the British Transport Police was leading the investigation.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Definition of constabulary

Browse Nearby Words

policed (up)
police force
police forces
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Police force.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/police%20force. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All