police state

NOUN

totalitarian rule

Synonyms

WEAK

brute force despotism rule of terror totalitarian government totalitarian regime totalitarianism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Here, it justifies the creation of a dystopian, paranoid police state because it will make it easier to find someone’s lost dog.

From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026

The book’s most edifying compilations recount the Soviet people’s unconquerable yearning to live, create and love freely, despite the daily menaces of a police state and deafening propaganda.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

He’s also enlisted local police, state troopers and private security for the events.

From Salon • May 5, 2025

Stone & Son, which then called the driver and told him to pull over and wait for police, state police said.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 18, 2023

Shin did not yet know this, but grassroots capitalism, vagabond trading, and rampant corruption were creating cracks in the police state that surrounded Camp 14.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden