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police

Pronunciation: /pəˈliːs/

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Definition of police

noun

[treated as plural] (usually the police)

the civil force of a state, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order: local people have lost faith in the police [as modifier]:the coroner will await the outcome of police inquiries
members of a police force:there are fewer women police than men
[with adjective or noun modifier] an organization engaged in the enforcement of official regulations in a specified domain:transport police

verb

[with object]

(of a police force) have the duty of maintaining law and order in or at (an area or event): (as noun policing)a ten-point plan to improve policing
enforce regulations or an agreement in (a particular area or domain):a UN resolution to use military force to police the no-fly zone
enforce the provisions of (a law, agreement, or treaty):the regulations will be policed by factory inspectors

Origin:

late 15th century (in the sense 'public order'): from French, from medieval Latin politia 'citizenship, government' (see policy¹). Current senses date from the early 19th century

police in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of police in the US English dictionary

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