posse

noun

pos·​se ˈpä-sē 

1

: a large group often with a common interest

2

: a body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency

3

: a group of people temporarily organized to make a search (as for a lost child)

4

: entourage sense 1

Did you know?

Posse started out in English as part of a term from common law, posse comitatus, which in Medieval Latin translates as “power or authority of the county.” Posse comitatus referred to a group of citizens summoned by a reeve (a medieval official) or sheriff to preserve the public peace as allowed for by law. “Preserving the public peace” so often meant hunting down a supposed criminal that posse eventually came to refer to any group organized to make a search or embark on a mission, and today one may read about posses organized for search and rescue efforts. In even broader use it can refer to any group, period. Sometimes nowadays that group is a gang or a rock band but it can as easily be any group—of politicians, models, architects, tourists, children, or what have you—acting together for some shared purpose.

Synonyms

• cortege
• cortège
• entourage
• following
• retinue
• suite
• tail
• train

Examples of posse in a Sentence

The sheriff and his posse rode out to look for the bandits.

I went to the game with my posse.

Recent Examples on the Web

Aside from the usual cast of Trump-adjacent celebrities, including Kid Rock and UFC CEO Dana White, the posse at the fight was a who's-who of the figures the once and future president has picked to lead his administration - and which seats are still empty. —Cy Neff, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2024

Kelly Bishop joins Shrinking as Harrison Ford's ex-wife in exclusive first look As a means of dealing with this, Sean picks a fight with a group of drunk guys at a bar later that night, then lets the posse beat him up without raising a single finger against them to defend himself. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024

The four of them remained sort of a posse of female senators who have supported one another. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

That summer at a raucous meeting in the Park District headquarters, next to the AC Nielsen Tennis Center, a posse of infuriated dog-park users spoke out. —Ben Ryder Howe, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin posse comitatus, literally, power or authority of the county

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

posse

noun

pos·​se ˈpäs-ē 

1

: a group of people called upon by a sheriff for help (as in pursuit of a criminal)

2

: a number of people organized to make a search (as for a lost child)