self-policing

1 of 2

noun

self-po·​lic·​ing ˌself-pə-ˈlē-siŋ 

: the act or action of supervising the activities or policies of one's own group in order to prevent or detect and address violations of rules and regulations without outside enforcement

the industry's efforts at self-policing

But there is no easy answer, other than rigorous self-policing by users.

—Jim Kerstetter

Not all march organizers agree that self-policing is necessary or, even, appropriate.

—The Oregonian

self-policing

2 of 2

adjective

: having, involving, or engaging in self-policing

self-policing forums

a self-policing community

the group's self-policing system/policy

Examples of self-policing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But in the long run, Xi might find that the burdens of this top-down, self-policing approach are too much to bear for Beijing's most powerful. —John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2013

The Justices rely on self-policing mechanisms to uphold ethical standards and maintain the integrity of the court. —Nik Popli, TIME, 30 May 2024

In Nashville, Tennessee, hot chicken is a self-policing thing—places that fake the fire don't tend to stay in business very long. —Timothy Charles Davis, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024

Part of the problem is that the Supreme Court is largely self-policing, and some of them are doing a very bad job of it. —Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1933, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1898, in the meaning defined above