police force

noun

: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime

Examples of police force in a Sentence

He joined the local police force. mobilized practically the entire police force to track down the escaped criminal
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sam Rockwell, 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' (2018) The darkly comic crime drama pits Frances McDormand's righteously furious mom against a police force that hasn't caught her daughter's killer. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025 The internal probe is only the latest controversy to rock the Antioch police force, where six current or former officers were indicted in August 2023, while 13 other officers lost their jobs related to racist, homophobic and sexist texts shared among dozens of officers. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2025 Johnson shows how police forces, irked by the anarchist threat, developed new techniques of detection and surveillance. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 This distrust has even resulted in police forces coming to blows with each other in the streets on multiple occasions. Rebecca Hanson, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for police force

Word History

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of police force was in 1820

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Police force.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police%20force. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

police force

noun
: a body of officers trained and entrusted by a government to keep public peace, enforce laws, and prevent and detect crime

Legal Definition

police force

noun
: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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