Police vs. Cops

Policenoun

A civil force granted the legal authority for law enforcement and maintaining public order.

‘Call the police!’; ‘The police operating in New York City operate under the New York City Police Department, several other City agencies and boards, and several public authorities.’;

Copsnoun

The connecting crook of a harrow.

Policenoun

A police officer.

Policenoun

(obsolete) Policy.

Policenoun

(obsolete) Communal living; civilization.

Policenoun

The regulation of a given community or society; administration, law and order etc.

Policeverb

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

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

Policeverb

(transitive) To patrol or clean up an area.

Policeverb

To enforce norms or standards upon.

‘to police a person's identity’;

Policenoun

A judicial and executive system, for the government of a city, town, or district, for the preservation of rights, order, cleanliness, health, etc., and for the enforcement of the laws and prevention of crime; the administration of the laws and regulations of a city, incorporated town, or borough.

Policenoun

That which concerns the order of the community; the internal regulation of a state.

Policenoun

The organized body of civil officers in a city, town, or district, whose particular duties are the preservation of good order, the prevention and detection of crime, and the enforcement of the laws.

Policenoun

Military police, the body of soldiers detailed to preserve civil order and attend to sanitary arrangements in a camp or garrison.

Policenoun

The cleaning of a camp or garrison, or the state a camp as to cleanliness.

Policeverb

To keep in order by police.

Policeverb

To make clean; as, to police a camp.

Policenoun

the force of policemen and officers;

‘the law came looking for him’;

Policeverb

maintain the security of by carrying out a control

Police

The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and the use of force legitimized by the state via the monopoly on violence.