police state
noun
: a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures
Examples of police state in a Sentence
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Fortunately, the resemblance to a police state has not been totally debilitating.
—
Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
That is what happened for real to the wealthy in Communist or Socialist police states like China, Russia and North Korea where all, except the dictators, are treated equally—equally miserable.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 18 Aug. 2025
This is mission creep in action—by breaking the police state’s hostile takeover of the country and our Constitution into a series off incremental moves, the administration sidesteps the broad public backlash that a single, sweeping declaration of martial law would provoke.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
But large numbers of American citizens rising up to oppose this police state can.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
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Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
That is what happened for real to the wealthy in Communist or Socialist police states like China, Russia and North Korea where all, except the dictators, are treated equally—equally miserable.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 18 Aug. 2025
This is mission creep in action—by breaking the police state’s hostile takeover of the country and our Constitution into a series off incremental moves, the administration sidesteps the broad public backlash that a single, sweeping declaration of martial law would provoke.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2025
But large numbers of American citizens rising up to oppose this police state can.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for police state
Cite this Entry
“Police state.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police%20state. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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