From Middle French police, from Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία.

• (RP, Australia, America, Scotland) IPA: /pəˈliːs/, [pʰə̆ˈliˑs]
• (England, colloquial) IPA: /ˈpl̩iːs/
• (Southern American English, AAVE) IPA: /ˈpoʊ.liːs/

police (plural p)

1. A public agency charged with enforcing laws and maintaining public order, usually being granted special privileges to do so, particularly [from 18th c.]
   • 1943, Charles Reith, British Police and the Democratic Ideal, pp. 3–4 ↗:

     There are nine Peelian principles:
     ...
     7 ''To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen, in the interests of community welfare and existence.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC ↗:

     ‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […] ? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?

   • 1990 Sept. 13, David Black & al., "Prescription for Death", Law & Order, 00:00:01:

     In the criminal justice system, the People are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

   Call the police!
   1. (North America, & historical) A department of local (usually municipal) government responsible for general law enforcement.

      The Cook County Sheriff's Department has jurisdiction across most of Chicago but focuses on the unincorporated area and tasks like prisoner transport, leaving the rest to the Chicago Police Department.

   2. (UK) A branch of the Home Office responsible for general law enforcement within a specific territory.

      Scotland Yard is, technically speaking, only the Metropolitan Police for Greater London but because of their importance they have special jurisdiction for some crimes across the United Kingdom.

   3. (Australia, NZ) Any of the formally enacted law enforcement agencies at various levels of government.
2. (usually plural only) The staff of such a department or agency, particularly its officers; (regional, chiefly, US, Caribbean, Jamaica, Scotland, countable) an individual police officer. [from 19th c.]
   • 2006 Sept. 17, David Mills (TV writer), "Soft Eyes", The Wire, 00:06:50:

     Pearlman: Very clever, Lester. You got it all figured, huh?
     Freamon: Me? I'm just a police.

3. (figuratively, usually, ironic & mildly pejorative) People who try to enforce norms or standards as if granted authority similar to the police.

   Who called the fashion police?

4. (military, slang) Cleanup of a military facility, as a formal duty.
   • 1907, Hearings Before the Committee on Military Affairs, United States Senate, concerning the Affray at Brownsville, Tex. on the Night of August 13 and 14, 1906, volume 2:

     Q. […] What did you do that day? — A. I was cleaning up around quarters.
     Q. You had been on guard and went on police duty? You were policing, cleaning up around the barracks? — A. Yes, sir.

5. (archaic, now rare) Synonym of administration, the regulation of a community or society. [from 17th c.]
   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Greta Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 218:

     The notion of ‘police’ – that is, rational administration – was seen as a historical force which could bring civilized improvement to societies.

6. (obsolete) Alternative form of policy. [15th]
7. (obsolete) Alternative form of polity, civilization, a regulated community. [16th]

• (law enforcement agency) See Thesaurus:police
• (law enforcement officers) See Thesaurus:police officer

• French: police
• German: Polizei
• Italian: polizia, forza pubblica
• Portuguese: polícia
• Russian: поли́ция
• Spanish: policía

police (polices, present participle policing; simple past and past participle policed)

1. (transitive) To enforce the law and keep order among (a group).

   Extra security was hired to police the crowd at the big game.

2. (ambitransitive, military, slang) To clean up an area.
   • 1900, Proceedings of the eighth annual meeting, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States:

     This comes to him through the company housekeeping, for in the field each organization takes care of itself, cooks its own food, makes its own beds, does its own policing (cleaning up); […]

   • 1907, Hearings Before the Committee on Military Affairs, United States Senate, concerning the Affray at Brownsville, Tex. on the Night of August 13 and 14, 1906, volume 2:

     Q. […] What did you do that day? — A. I was cleaning up around quarters.
     Q. You had been on guard and went on police duty? You were policing, cleaning up around the barracks? — A. Yes, sir.

   • 1986, Oliver Stone, Platoon (film script)

     ELIAS: Police up your extra ammo and frags, don't leave nothing for the dinks.

3. (transitive, figurative) To enforce norms or standards upon.

   to police a person's identity