Policed

po·lice  (p-ls)

n. pl. police

1. The governmental department charged with the regulation and control of the affairs of a community, now chiefly the department established to maintain order, enforce the law, and prevent and detect crime.

2.

a. A body of persons making up such a department, trained in methods of law enforcement and crime prevention and detection and authorized to maintain the peace, safety, and order of the community.

b. A body of persons having similar organization and function: campus police. Also called police force.

3. (used with a pl. verb) Police officers considered as a group.

4. Regulation and control of the affairs of a community, especially with respect to maintenance of order, law, health, morals, safety, and other matters affecting the public welfare.

5. Informal A group that admonishes, cautions, or reminds: grammar police; fashion police.

6.

a. The cleaning of a military base or other military area: Police of the barracks must be completed before inspection.

b. The soldiers assigned to a specified maintenance duty.

tr.v. po·liced, po·lic·ing, po·lic·es

1. To regulate, control, or keep in order with or as if with a law enforcement agency.

2. To make (a military area, for example) neat in appearance: policed the barracks.

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[French, from Old French policie, civil organization, from Late Latin polta, from Latin, the State, from Greek polteia, from polts, citizen, from polis, city; see pel-³ in Indo-European roots.]

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po·licea·ble adj.

po·licer n.