police

From Middle French police, from Latin politia (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy and polity.

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, General American, Scotland) IPA^(key): /p(əˈ)liːs/
• (England, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈpliːs/
• (Southern American English, AAVE) IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊ.liːs/

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• Rhymes: -iːs
• Hyphenation: po‧lice

police pl (normally plural, singular police)

1. A civil force granted the legal authority for law enforcement and maintaining public order. [from 18th c.]

   Call the police!

   The police operating in New York City operate under the New York City Police Department, several other City agencies and boards, and several public authorities.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess‎:

     ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?

   • 2012 July 16, Matthew Modine as Peter Foley, The Dark Knight Rises, written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, Warner Bros. Pictures:

     There’s only one police in this town.

2. (regional, chiefly US, Caribbean, Scotland) A police officer. [from 19th c.]
   • 2006, David Simon, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets‎, →ISBN, page 440:

     This time it is the worst kind of call a murder police can get.

3. (obsolete) Policy. [15th-19th c.]
4. (obsolete) Communal living; civilization. [16th-19th c.]
5. (now rare, historical) The regulation of a given community or society; administration, law and order etc. [from 17th c.]
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Greta Nation, Penguin 2003, page 218:

     The notion of ‘police’ – that is, rational administration – was seen as a historical force which could bring civilized improvement to societies.

• (an organisation that enforces the law): See Thesaurus:police
• (a police officer): See Thesaurus:police officer

police (third-person singular simple present polices, present participle policing, simple past and past participle policed)

1. (transitive) To enforce the law and keep order among (a group).

   Extra security was hired to police the crowd at the big game.

   • 2012 May 24, Nathan Rabin, “Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3”, in The Onion AV Club:

     Smith returns in Men In Black 3 as a veteran agent of a secret organization dedicated to policing the earth’s many extraterrestrials.

   • 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:

     Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector. Governments have to find the best people to fill important jobs: there is a limited supply of people who understand the financial system, for example.

2. (transitive) To patrol or clean up an area.
   • 2006, Robert B. Parker, Hundred-Dollar Baby, Putnam, →ISBN, page 275,

     "Fire off several rounds in a residential building and stop to police the brass?"

3. (transitive, figuratively) To enforce norms or standards upon.

   to police a person's identity

• ecilop

• IPA^(key): /ˈpolɪt͡sɛ/

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police f

1. shelf (structure)

• polička

From Latin politia (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía).

• IPA^(key): /pɔ.lis/

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  (file)

• Rhymes: -is

police f (plural polices)

1. police

   Fuyez, la police arrive !

   Run, the police are coming!

2. (typography) fount, font
3. (Quebec) cop (police officer)

• policier

• flic
• gendarme
• keuf
• sûreté

police

1. first-person singular present indicative of policer
2. third-person singular present indicative of policer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of policer
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of policer
5. second-person singular imperative of policer

• picole, picolé

• “police” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Borrowed from Latin politia.

police f (plural polices)

1. governance; management
   • 1577, Jean d'Ogerolles, Discours sur la contagion de peste qui a esté ceste presente annee en la ville de Lyon, front cover

     contenant les causes d'icelle, l'ordre, moyen et police tenue pour en purger, nettoyer et delivrer la ville (subheading)

     containing the causes, the order, means and management employed to purge, clean and deliver the city

• policie

Borrowed from Latin politia.

police f (uncountable)

1. (Jersey) police

police

1. nominative plural of polica

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔlit͡sɛ/

police

1. nominative plural of polica