police state
30
7.5
- noun
- /pəˈlis steɪt/
:
estado policial
- The citizens protested against the government's descent into a police state, fearing the loss of their basic freedoms.
- police state apparatus
That's right, we are living in a police state, so retroactive apologies, scooch.
- That's right, we are living in a police state, so retroactive apologies, scooch.
- This is sanity versus insanity and freedom versus a police state.
- And Nixon's regime and the police state and law and order are all part of that.
- These people do not know shit from Shinola and what they want is a police state.
- And it just didn't occur to me if there is one city in the world where people really understand what it's like to live in a police state, it's going to be Berlin.
- But yeah, no police state-run by Jim Diorio.
- It's not very many, and it's not because it's a police state.
Examples
-
One observer said that the number of security people made it appear Taiwan had become a "police state" again.
Academic text (1995) -
Syria is a police state.
Academic text (2010) -
That is what a police state looks like.
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This is what a police state looks like!
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Paris is under an effective police state.
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We're becoming a police state, here.
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I am praying for the safety of our kids in this police state.
Blog text (4) -
And Nixon's regime and the police state and law and order are all part of that.
-
Despite being vicious, pervasive, and visible, America's police state is not especially competent or goal-oriented.
Blog text (12) -
Assad has imposed on Syria a Soviet-style police state with all the repression and poverty that it entails.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
535
6.1
A government that rules a country, often not democratic and strict
109
6.7
One person or a small group rules a country cruelly
27
7.0
A person or organization that watches and controls people's lives too closely
19
9.3
A government that controls nearly all parts of people's lives and takes away personal freedom
7
9.6
A government where one person or group has all power and rules cruelly
6
8.3
A government that controls almost all parts of people's lives by force
5
7.4
A government where one leader or a small group holds power and limits people's freedoms
5
8.2
A government that controls almost every part of people's lives and punishes people who disagree
5
8.2
A government in which one person has all power
1
7.6
A country ruled by leaders who tightly control people's lives and freedoms
How Authoritarian
- Formal
5
8.2
30
7.5
1
7.6
- Formal
6
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'police state' is a straightforward composition of 'police' (the law-enforcement organization) and 'state' (a nation/government): it denotes a state characterized by heavy police control. This logic is cross-linguistically common (e.g. estado policial, État policier), so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can reliably infer the expression's meaning.
Etymology
Police state is a phrase that comes from the image of a state run by the police, where officers watch and control people. So, it now means a country where the government uses strict 'watching' and 'control' to limit people's freedoms.