How do you use the word "police" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "police": The police will get you to find the bullets. You have to report to the police at once.

Police Meaning

/pəˈliːs/

Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA 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.

nounA 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., A department of local (usually municipal) government responsible for general law enforcement.

Sentence Examples

The police will get you to find the bullets.

You have to report to the police at once.

Get out of the house or I'll call the police.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

law patrol

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The ____ arrived quickly after the bank robbery was reported to them.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The ____ arrived at the scene within minutes and began interviewing witnesses about the incident.

Word Origin & History

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *tpelH- Proto-Hellenic *ptólis Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis) Proto-Indo-European *-tósder. Ancient Greek -της (-tēs) Ancient Greek πολῑ́της (polī́tēs) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek πολῑτείᾱ (polīteíā)bor. Latin politiabor. Middle French policeder. English police From Middle French police, from Latin polītīa (“state, government”), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía). Doublet of policy, polis (“police”), and polity.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"‘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?" — 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

"Citadel Security is a volunteer police service answering to the Citadel Council. The 200,000 constables of C-Sec are responsible for maintaining public order in the densely populated Citadel." — 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel Station: Citadel Security Services (C-Sec) Codex entry:

"The rally on Sunday in Victoria Park, in the Causeway Bay district, was authorized in advance by the police. But protesters were also expected to begin marching later in the day from Sham Shui Po, a working-class neighborhood on the Kowloon peninsula, across the harbor from North Point. The police rejected their application for a permit." — 2019 August 11, Mike Ives, “Hong Kong Protesters Gather Amid Fears of Mob Violence”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2019:

"There’s only one police in this town." — 2012 July 16, Jonathan, Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises, spoken by Peter Foley (Matthew Modine), Warner Bros. Pictures:

"This time it is the worst kind of call a murder police can get." — 2006, David Simon, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, →ISBN, page 440:

Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words