Phrase guide

police force

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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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any police organization; a constabulary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, law-enforcement

Examples

  • He joined the police force a long time ago, when he lived in Virginia.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: police department, police service, police

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the force of policemen and officers

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the law came looking for him

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: police, constabulary, law

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: force, personnel, law enforcement agency

Narrower terms: Europol, European Law Enforcement Organisation, gendarmerie, gendarmery, Mutawa'een, Mutawa, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, Mounties, Scotland Yard, New Scotland Yard, secret police, Schutzstaffel, SS, posse, posse comitatus

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: cos de policia — police organization, constabulary
  • Catalan: forces policials — police organization, constabulary
  • Catalan: forces d'ordre públic — police organization, constabulary
  • Catalan: forces de seguretat — police organization, constabulary
  • Cebuano: kapolisan — police organization, constabulary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 警察 (jǐngchá) — police organization, constabulary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 警隊 /警队 (jǐngduì) — police organization, constabulary
  • Cornish: kreslu — police organization, constabulary
  • Czech: policejní sbor — police organization, constabulary
  • Dutch: ordetroepen — police organization, constabulary
  • Finnish: poliisi — police organization, constabulary
  • Finnish: poliisivoimat — police organization, constabulary
  • French: forces de l'ordre — police organization, constabulary
  • German: Polizeitruppe — police organization, constabulary
  • German: Polizeiapparat — police organization, constabulary
  • German: Polizeikräfte — police organization, constabulary
  • Hungarian: rendőrség — police organization, constabulary
  • Hungarian: rendőri erők — police organization, constabulary
  • Ido: policistaro — police organization, constabulary
  • Latin: vigilia — police organization, constabulary
  • Norwegian Bokmål: politistyrke — police organization, constabulary
  • Norwegian Bokmål: polititropp — police organization, constabulary
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: politistyrke — police organization, constabulary
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: polititropp — police organization, constabulary
  • Polish: policja — police organization, constabulary
  • Portuguese: corpo de polícia — police organization, constabulary
  • Portuguese: forças de segurança — police organization, constabulary
  • Portuguese: forças da ordem — police organization, constabulary
  • Portuguese: forças da ordem pública — police organization, constabulary
  • Portuguese: forças policiais — police organization, constabulary
  • Spanish: cuerpo de policía — police organization, constabulary
  • Spanish: fuerzas policiales — police organization, constabulary
  • Spanish: fuerzas del orden — police organization, constabulary
  • Spanish: fuerzas de orden público — police organization, constabulary
  • Spanish: fuerzas de seguridad — police organization, constabulary
  • Tagalog: kapulisan — police organization, constabulary
  • Tok Pisin: polis fos — police organization, constabulary
  • Turkish: polis kuvvetleri — police organization, constabulary
  • Volapük: poldanef — police organization, constabulary
  • Welsh: heddlu — police organization, constabulary