thought police

noun

A group that aims to control the thoughts of others.

“My mother would make a good thought police.”

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Meanings

nounthought police (plural thought police)
  1. figurativelyA group that aims to control the thoughts of others.

    My mother would make a good thought police.

    2 more examples

    These journalists are on their way to becoming thought police.

    Steve Smith: Why does a free society have a fucking thought police?

    2021, Paradox Interactive, Hearts of Iron IV, The New Order: Last Days of Europe Mod, scene: Entry 10: The "Free" Territory

Origin

Originally used in the first half of the twentieth century as an epithet for the Special Higher Police, although it is arguable that its popularity in modern usage stems primarily from the synonymous organization in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which is responsible for monitoring all citizens and making sure they are not guilty of political dissent or thoughtcrime.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic بوليس الفكر
  • بوليس الفكر (boulis al-fikr)a group that aims to control what other people think
Chinese Mandarin 思想警察
  • 思想警察 (sīxiǎng jǐngchá)a group that aims to control what other people think
Danish tankepoliti
  • tankepolitia group that aims to control what other people think
Finnish ajatuspoliisi
  • ajatuspoliisia group that aims to control what other people think
French police de la pensée
  • police de la penséea group that aims to control what other people think
German Gedankenpolizei
  • Gedankenpolizeia group that aims to control what other people think
Hebrew משטרת המחשבות
  • משטרת המחשבותa group that aims to control what other people think
Italian psicopolizia
  • psicopoliziaa group that aims to control what other people think
Japanese 思想警察
  • 思想警察 (shisō keisatsu)a group that aims to control what other people think
Norwegian tankepoliti
  • tankepolitia group that aims to control what other people think
Polish policja myśli
  • policja myślia group that aims to control what other people think
Portuguese polícia do pensamento
  • polícia do pensamentoa group that aims to control what other people think
Russian поли́ция мы́слей
  • поли́ция мы́слей (polícija mýslej)a group that aims to control what other people think
Spanish policía del pensamiento
  • policía del pensamientoa group that aims to control what other people think
Swedish tankepolis
  • tankepolisa group that aims to control what other people think
Welsh heddlu meddwl
  • heddlu meddwla group that aims to control what other people think
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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