police

CEFRA2

/pəˈliːs/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The official organization that protects people and enforces the law.

  2. 02

    verb

    To control or watch an area for safety.

Examples

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

  • The police will get you to find the bullets.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpɒl.ɪs/
  • /ˈpoʊ.liːs/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. 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.

  2. A branch of the Home Office responsible for general law enforcement within a specific territory.

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

More examples

In context

  • You have to report to the police at once.

  • In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

  • 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...

Synonyms

Quick test

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

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Nearby

Origin

noun

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