the secret police
noun
: a police organization that is run by a government and that operates in a secret way to control the actions of people who oppose the government
Examples of the secret police in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Gestapo was the secret police force of Nazi Germany that helped round up Jews and send them to their deaths at concentration camps.
—
Dennis Romero, NBC news, 19 Jan. 2026
Delcy is the one who is really in charge of the secret police and the repressive apparatus.
—CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
The woman in the frog costume compared Border Patrol’s presence to that of the Gestapo, the secret police force in Nazi Germany.
—Charlotte Observer, 19 Nov. 2025
Natalie Portman stars as Evey, a young working-class woman rescued from the secret police by a masked freedom fighter known only as V (Hugo Weaving), who is leading a plot to take down the oppressors in dramatic fashion.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
More generally, the objectives of AI are determined by those with social power, whether that is in the criminal justice system, in education, in medicine, or in the secret police forces of autocratic surveillance states.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
From 1945 to 1989, the Soviet Union denied self-determination to central and eastern Europe and exercised control over both the domestic and foreign policies of Warsaw Pact members through local communist parties, the secret police, and the Red Army.
—Angela Stent, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dennis Romero, NBC news, 19 Jan. 2026
Delcy is the one who is really in charge of the secret police and the repressive apparatus.
—CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
The woman in the frog costume compared Border Patrol’s presence to that of the Gestapo, the secret police force in Nazi Germany.
—Charlotte Observer, 19 Nov. 2025
Natalie Portman stars as Evey, a young working-class woman rescued from the secret police by a masked freedom fighter known only as V (Hugo Weaving), who is leading a plot to take down the oppressors in dramatic fashion.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
More generally, the objectives of AI are determined by those with social power, whether that is in the criminal justice system, in education, in medicine, or in the secret police forces of autocratic surveillance states.
—Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
From 1945 to 1989, the Soviet Union denied self-determination to central and eastern Europe and exercised control over both the domestic and foreign policies of Warsaw Pact members through local communist parties, the secret police, and the Red Army.
—Angela Stent, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“The secret police.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20secret%20police. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
