police up

verb

To clean up an area or an item or person, usually in preparation for an inspection; to police an area for problems.

“We have to police up the grounds before the end of the day.”

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Meanings

verbpolice up (third-person singular simple present polices up, present participle policing up, simple past and past participle policed up)

present singular third person polices up · participle present policing up · participle past policed up · past policed up

  1. transitiveTo clean up an area or an item or person, usually in preparation for an inspection; to police an area for problems.

    We have to police up the grounds before the end of the day.

Cite this entry
APA

police up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/police%20up

MLA

“police up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/police%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “police up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/police%20up.

Source: police up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.