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

Recent Examples on the Web

Before now, Islamic extremists were pushed to the margins by Ms. Hasina’s police state. —Saif Hasnat, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Since the regime fell, the evidence of a ruthless police state has grown overwhelming. —Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025

Kylie Womack, 28, of Little Rock was killed around 12:06 a.m. Monday after a 2003 Hyundai driving west at 4600 Baseline Road in Little Rock struck her and an unidentified woman while the two were in the roadway, a report from Little Rock police states. —Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 2 Oct. 2024

Meanwhile, Beijing has erected a police state that has effectively sealed off the region from international scrutiny. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for police state

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

police state

noun

: a state in which the activities of the people are under the power of the government often acting through a secret police force