police state

noun

: a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the government according to publicly known legal procedures

Examples of police state in a Sentence

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Since the regime fell, the evidence of a ruthless police state has grown overwhelming. —

Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025 Kylie Womack, 28, of Little Rock was killed around 12:06 a.m. Monday after a 2003 Hyundai driving west at 4600 Baseline Road in Little Rock struck her and an unidentified woman while the two were in the roadway, a report from Little Rock police states. —

Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 2 Oct. 2024 Meanwhile, Beijing has erected a police state that has effectively sealed off the region from international scrutiny. —

Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025 Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father, came to power in 1971 and built a brutal police state. —

Justin Salhani, The Dial, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for police state