1 C1 idiomatic formal
(Military/institutional) To clean an area by picking up all litter, debris, or equipment
"Before leaving the training area, the soldiers were ordered to police up every piece of rubbish."
separable
police up
C1 formal separable transitive
To clean up or tidy an area by collecting litter and debris, especially in a military or institutional context
In plain English
To pick up all the litter and rubbish from an area to make it clean and tidy
What does "police up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic formal
To enforce rules, standards, or behavior more strictly within an area or organization
"The new management was brought in to police up working practices across all departments."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To police (keep orderly) an area by cleaning it up
Actually means
To pick up all the litter and rubbish from an area to make it clean and tidy
Usage tip
This phrasal verb originates in military usage, where soldiers are ordered to 'police up' a campsite or training area by collecting all litter, spent cartridges, and debris. It is occasionally used in civilian institutional contexts (camps, events). It is not common in everyday civilian English and ESL learners should prefer 'clean up' or 'tidy up'.
Words that pair with "police up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
area campsite field grounds range site
How to conjugate "police up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
police up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
polices up
he/she/it
Past simple
policed up
yesterday
Past participle
policed up
have + pp
-ing form
policing up
continuous
Hear "police up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "police up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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