police

/pəˈliːs/

verb 3

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

armed, mounted | plain-clothes, uniformed | anti-riot, riot | paramilitary, secret, security | federal, local, national, state

VERB + POLICE

call | alert, tell

POLICE + VERB

arrest sb | patrol sth | interview sb, question sb | investigate sth

appeal for sth

The police appealed for information about the missing child last week.

POLICE + NOUN

chief, constable, officer | spokesman | headquarters, station

cell

After being arrested, she was held in a police cell for questioning.

custody

car, helicopter, van, vehicle

The police helicopter circled above the city, searching for the missing child.

driver, marksman | dog, horse | authorities, force, service | unit | enquiries, investigation

escort

The celebrity needed police protection when she arrived at the airport because of the large crowd.

patrol

The police patrol arrived quickly after neighbors reported suspicious activity near the park.

raid

The police raid on the warehouse resulted in the seizure of stolen goods.

presence

Extra police presence was needed at the airport after the security threat was announced.

protection

The celebrity received police protection during her visit to the city.

cordon, lines

The officer stood behind the police lines, watching the crowd carefully.

chase | informer | brutality, harassment

PHRASES

helping the police with their enquiries

The woman was helping the police with their enquiries about the missing jewels.

Definitions

verb

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

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

Smith returns in Men In Black 3 as a veteran agent of a secret organization dedicated to policing the earth’s many extraterrestrials.

To clean up an area.

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); […]

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.

To enforce norms or standards upon.

to police a person's identity

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the force of policemen and officers

verb — maintain the security of by carrying out a patrol

patrol

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

I'll call the police

Indicates that the speaker is going to call the police, presumably to counter actions from the interlocutor.

call the police

Use a telephone to request the arrival of a police officer.

grammar police

One or more people who make negative comments, which are usually unsolicited and unwanted, concerning the correctness of someone's English usage.

The grammar police are cruising the info highway, and they're writing tickets. In newsgroups . . . bad English does not go unnoticed.

Example Bank

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

Wiktionary

Smith returns in Men In Black 3 as a veteran agent of a secret organization dedicated to policing the earth’s many extraterrestrials.

Wiktionary

Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector. G

Wiktionary

The police will get you to find the bullets.

Tatoeba · #1400

Call the police!

Tatoeba · #1718

Ray was willing to corroborate Gary's story, but the police were still unconvinced that either of them were telling the truth.

Tatoeba · #2008

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, police is marked as slang, figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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