French word

police

Pronunciation

IPA/polis/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpolice

Example

Appelle la police !

Call the police!

Illustration for police (police)

More examples

La police est déjà arrivée.

The police have already arrived.

Core concept

A structured system that keeps public life orderly, through officers in the street or an orderly design for written letters.

Common phrases

  • appeler la police

    call the police

  • un agent de police

    a police officer

  • la police nationale

    the national police

Similar words

commissariat: A police station that receives reports, handles inquiries, and conducts investigations.
policier: A police officer whose work includes patrolling and investigating crimes.
poste de police: A local police post used for responding to reports and organizing patrols.
gendarmerie: A military-style police force responsible for security in rural and suburban areas.

Definition in French

Service public ou ensemble d'agents responsable de la sécurité des personnes et de l'application des lois; employé aussi pour parler d'une 'police de caractères' en typographie.

Word origin

French police comes through Old French policie and Latin politia from Greek politeia, meaning the organization or government of a community.

Usage tips

  • Police is feminine, so the usual article is la in la police and the typography term is une police de caracteres.

Other meanings

  • fontnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • policierpolice officernoun
  • policièrefemale police officernoun

Word lists with this word