law and order

1 of 2

noun

: the enactment of laws (see law entry 1 sense 1a(1)) and their strict enforcement by police and the courts

He has touted his conservative approach to local government, emphasizing law and order and conservative fiscal policies.

—Andrew Quintana and Daniela Flamini

But Rucker said Deters' view of law and order can be inconsistent. He pointed to Deters' decision to not pursue charges against former Bengal Adam "Pacman" Jones, who was accused in 2017 of spitting on a jail nurse—a felony crime, Rucker said.

—Kevin Grasha

also : the safe, civil, and orderly functioning of society viewed especially as a result of the enactment and strict enforcement of laws

"We're looking to you, Councillor, and to the other leading citizens, to help us in upholding law and order in this township."

—Arthur Conan Doyle

Another thing that impressed itself upon me throughout England was the high regard that all classes have for law and order, and the ease and thoroughness with which everything is done.

—Booker T. Washington

It is both wrong and dangerous to threaten to deploy American soldiers against American citizens unless there is a complete breakdown of law and order in a state and the governor requests that assistance.

—William Perry

law-and-order

2 of 2

adjective

law-and-or·​der ˈlȯ-ən(d)-ˈor-dər 

: relating to, characterized by, or advocating the enactment of laws and their strict enforcement

All these years, I've thought of Henry Hyde as a law-and-order kind of guy. A real hardnose when it comes to punishing those who break the law.

—Mike Royko

… all four dissenters were recent appointees of Richard Nixon, who had won the White House with a carefully orchestrated law-and-order campaign.

—David Oshinsky

Simon Kuper … says the Dutch public is more receptive than ever to law-and-order policies. The murders of Fortuyn in 2002 and Theo van Gogh, a controversial filmmaker in 2004, left the Dutch with a profound fear of chaos and disorder, and a negative self-image.

—Thijs Niemantsverdriet

Examples of law and order in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The army may want time to ensure a restoration of law and order. —Michael Kugelman, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024

The Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which spells out a regime of law and order for the oceans and seas, states that a coastal country may claim that its territorial waters extend seaward up to 12 nautical miles from the low-water line along its coast. —Ryan Chan, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Many progressives want wholesale systematic reform on one side, and many conservatives demand a strict law-and-order mentality on the other. —Anthony Michael Kreis, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024

Proposition 36, the retrograde law-and-order ballot measure that will almost certainly lead to more incarceration for minor crimes, passed overwhelmingly — perhaps signaling that rightward lean. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1839, in the meaning defined above