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police force
noun
: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime
Synonyms
Examples of police force in a Sentence
He joined the local police force.
mobilized practically the entire police force to track down the escaped criminal
Recent Examples on the Web
Danny Ocean is appealing to the relatives of members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela and police forces to try to reason with them and prevent further bloodshed.
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Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 31 July 2024
The items, which were being smuggled into Spain as part of a money-laundering operation, were retrieved by Spanish and Ukrainian police forces working in tandem.
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News Desk, Artforum, 23 July 2024
The outage, affecting major businesses, police forces, public transport and banks, was caused by an information technology glitch due to an issue with the Microsoft cloud.
—
Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 19 July 2024
Benjamin, a high school’s dean of discipline, sees his 16-year-old daughter viciously attacked by police forces.
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Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for police force ![](/dist-cross-dungarees/2024-08-15--15-22-11-hrh2al/images/svg/redesign/arrow-right-exemplar.svg)
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'police force.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1820, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near police force
Cite this Entry
“Police force.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/police%20force. Accessed 23 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
police force
noun
: a body of officers trained and entrusted by a government to keep public peace, enforce laws, and prevent and detect crime
Legal Definition
police force
noun
: a body of trained officers entrusted by a government with maintenance of public peace and order, enforcement of laws, and prevention and detection of crime
More from Merriam-Webster on police force
Britannica English: Translation of police force for Arabic Speakers
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