police

noun police

1. plural, plural normally A constituted body of officers representing the civil authority of government, empowered to maintain public order and safety, enforce the law, and prevent, detect, and investigate crime. There are nine Principles of Police: ... 7 To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to d
2. Canada, US, historical, plural, plural normally A department of local (usually municipal) government responsible for general law enforcement. The Cook County Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction across most of Chicago but focuses on the unincorporated area and tasks like prisoner transport, leaving the rest to the Chicago Police Department.
3. UK, plural, plural normally A branch of the Home Office responsible for general law enforcement within a specific territory. Scotland Yard is, technically speaking, only the metropolitan police for Greater London but because of their importance they have special jurisdiction for some crimes across the United Kingdom.
4. Australia, New Zealand, plural, plural normally Any of the formally enacted law enforcement agencies at various levels of government.
5. plural, plural normally, plural only, usually The staff of such a department or agency, particularly its officers; (regional, chiefly US, Caribbean, Jamaica, Scotland, countable) an individual police officer. Pearlman: Very clever, Lester. You got it all figured, huh? Freamon: Me? I'm just a police.
6. derogatory, figuratively, ironic, mildly, plural, plural normally People who try to enforce norms or standards as if granted authority similar to the police. Who called the fashion police?
7. plural, plural normally, slang Cleanup of a military facility, as a formal duty. Q. […] What did you do that day? — A. I was cleaning up around quarters. Q. You had been on guard and went on police duty? You were policing, cleaning up around the barracks? — A. Yes, sir.
8. archaic, plural, plural normally Synonym of administration, the regulation of a community or society. The notion of ‘police’ – that is, rational administration – was seen as a historical force which could bring civilized improvement to societies.

   Similar: administration

9. alternative, obsolete, plural, plural normally Alternative form of policy
10. alternative, obsolete, plural, plural normally Alternative form of polity, civilization, a regulated community.

Similar: police officer, 5-O, Babylon, bacon, Big Blue Machine, Bill, boydem, constabulary, dibble, donut patrol, ducks and geese, ecilop, esclop, feds, force, filth, five-o, fuzz, garda, gardai, gendarmerie, heat, law, maaveh, monarch, Old Bill, piglice, plod, po-po, police

verb polices · policing · 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.
2. ambitransitive, slang To clean up an area. This comes to him through the company housekeeping, for in the field each organization takes care of itself, cooks its own food, makes its own beds, does its own policing (cleaning up); […]
3. figuratively, transitive To enforce norms or standards upon. to police a person's identity