View synonyms for

police state

noun

a nation in which the police, especially a secret police, summarily suppresses any social, economic, or political act that conflicts with governmental policy.

police state

noun

a state or country in which a repressive government maintains control through the police

police state

A nation whose rulers maintain order and obedience by the threat of police or military force; one with a brutal, arbitrary government.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of police state¹

First recorded in 1860–65

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

If all of the parts of this order are successful, they would also usher in pathways to a police state.

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"Civil war is inevitable" … "Britain is going full Stalin"… "The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state".

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Trump’s language is designed to fracture the civic contract, pit citizens against each other, create the conditions for civil war, and pave the way for a society ruled by fear and a police state.

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“This campus has essentially become a police state,” Elisa Pabon, the postdoctoral unit chair for the union, said gesturing to uniformed security guards standing nearby.

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“With To Lam’s ascent to the presidency, Vietnam is now a literal police state,” said Swanton, adding that the Vietnamese ruling Politburo was now dominated by current and former security officials.

From

police reporter police station

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