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MP

MP

55 3.9
A soldier who enforces military rules and guards prisoners
  • noun
  • /ɛm pi/
translation icon : policía militar
  • MPs fished him out and sent him to the Army coroner in Frankfurt.

Well, you know, when I went in, I joined to be an MP military police officer.

Examples

  • MPs escorted him back to our tent, where they waited for him to put on his dress uniform.

  • Your Majesty, may I introduce Ali G, MP for Staines?

  • Well, you know, when I went in, I joined to be an MP military police officer.

  • Send an MP unit to search their vehicle.

  • I got a call from an MP's office.

  • Eight MPs were sent to get him.

  • - I suppose the MPs have been in here... asking questions about what happened in that field.

  • Clement Freud had a very good story he used to tell about when he was an MP.

  • Almost three-quarters of MPs believe the new government should prioritize supporting people with depression back into employment.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The MPs were responsible for maintaining order during the exercise.

Synonyms

17 3.5

People in the military who make sure others follow rules, keep order, and guard prisoners

can also refer to a single person rather than only the larger organization
2 3.5

A soldier who enforces rules and guards prisoners

is neutral about gender and can mean either a person or the group

A member of the armed forces who enforces rules, keeps soldiers in order and guards prisoners

is the general term for a person or the whole unit, not only the formal role

A woman in the military who makes sure soldiers follow rules and guards prisoners

is neutral about gender and can mean either a person or the group

Surface Forms

MP singular
MPs plural

Morphology

MP = military + police (semi-transparent) = M + P

The initialism 'MP' directly abbreviates the phrase 'military police', so learners who know the expanded phrase can readily map it. [Postprocessing: changed transparency from 'transparent' to 'semi-transparent' for abbreviation]

Etymology

MP stands for military police, meaning the soldiers who act like police and guard prisoners. So, an MP is the person in the army who keeps order and watches people who break the rules.