Phrase guide

police car

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An automobile used by a police officer when on duty. Usually marked with police livery; sometimes an unmarked car.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: patrol car, cruise car, cruiser, squad car, radio car, crime car

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: patrol car, cruise car, cruiser, squad car, radio car, crime car

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: car, motor vehicle, vehicle

2

noun

Meaning 2

a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cruiser, police cruiser, patrol car, prowl car, squad car

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: car, auto, automobile, machine, motorcar

Narrower terms: panda car

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَيَّارَة شُرْطَة (sayyārat šurṭa) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܪܲܕܵܝܬܵܐ ܕܫܘܼܪܛܵܐ (rādayta d-šurṭa) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Armenian: ոստիկանության մեքենա (ostikanutʻyan mekʻena) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Belarusian: паліцэ́йскі аўтамабі́ль (palicéjski awtamabílʹ) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Bulgarian: полице́йска кола́ (policéjska kolá) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Chinese Cantonese: 警車 /警车 (ging2 ce1) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Chinese Cantonese: 警察車 /警察车 (ging2 caat3 ce1) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 警車 /警车 (jǐngchē) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 警察車 /警察车 (jǐngcháchē) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Czech: policejní auto — automobile used by a police officer
  • Danish: politibil — automobile used by a police officer
  • Dutch: politieauto — automobile used by a police officer
  • Dutch: politiewagen — automobile used by a police officer
  • Estonian: politseiauto — automobile used by a police officer
  • Finnish: poliisiauto — automobile used by a police officer
  • Finnish: partioauto — automobile used by a police officer
  • French: véhicule de police — automobile used by a police officer
  • French: autopatrouille — automobile used by a police officer
  • German: Streifenwagen — automobile used by a police officer
  • German: Polizeiwagen — automobile used by a police officer
  • German: Polizeiauto — automobile used by a police officer
  • German: Polizeifahrzeug — automobile used by a police officer
  • Greek: περιπολικό (peripolikó) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Hebrew: נַיֶּדֶת (nayédet) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Hindi: पुलिस की गाड़ी (pulis kī gāṛī) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Hindi: पुलिस की कार (pulis kī kār) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Hungarian: rendőrautó — automobile used by a police officer
  • Hungarian: rendőrkocsi — automobile used by a police officer
  • Icelandic: lögreglubíll — automobile used by a police officer
  • Icelandic: löggubíll — automobile used by a police officer
  • Japanese: パトカー (patokā) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Japanese: パトロールカー (patorōrukā) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Korean: 경찰차 (gyeongchalcha) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Macedonian: поли́циски автомоби́л (políciski avtomobíl) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Macedonian: поли́циска ко́ла (políciska kóla) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Malay: kereta polis — automobile used by a police officer
  • Mongolian: цагдаагийн машин (cagdaagiin mašin) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Norwegian Bokmål: politibil — automobile used by a police officer
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: politibil — automobile used by a police officer
  • Persian: خودرُویِ پُلیس — automobile used by a police officer
  • Polish: radiowóz — automobile used by a police officer
  • Portuguese: viatura — automobile used by a police officer
  • Romanian: vehicul de poliție — automobile used by a police officer
  • Romanian: mașină de poliție — automobile used by a police officer
  • Russian: полице́йский автомоби́ль (policéjskij avtomobílʹ) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Russian: полице́йская маши́на (policéjskaja mašína) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Russian: патру́льная маши́на (patrúlʹnaja mašína) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Spanish: patrulla — automobile used by a police officer
  • Spanish: vehículo policial / policíaco / policiaco — automobile used by a police officer
  • Swedish: polisbil — automobile used by a police officer
  • Thai: รถตํารวจ (rót-dtam-rùuat) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Ukrainian: поліце́йський автомобі́ль (policéjsʹkyj avtomobílʹ) — automobile used by a police officer
  • Vietnamese: xe cảnh sát — automobile used by a police officer
  • Vietnamese: xe công an — automobile used by a police officer
  • Yiddish: פּאָליציי־⁠אויטאָ — automobile used by a police officer