policy Meaning & Definition
What Does Policy Mean?
Policy is used as a noun meaning A principle of behaviour, conduct which an entity (government, organization, etc.) applies or seeks to follow, especially as formally expressed by an authoritative body. It is also used to mean A document describing such a policy. As a verb, it means To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.
Policy in Brief
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈpɒl.ə.si/ |
| Syllables | 3 |
| Synonyms | insurance and insurance policy |
| Plural | policies |
| Verb forms | policies, policying, policied |
Policy Definition (Noun)
- A principle of behaviour, conduct which an entity (government, organization, etc.) applies or seeks to follow, especially as formally expressed by an authoritative body.
The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.
- A document describing such a policy.
Please print extra copies of this policy and post them where it will be easy for everyone to see.
- Wise, advantageous, or politic conduct; prudence, formerly also with connotations of craftiness.
- Specifically, political shrewdness or (formerly) cunning; statecraft.
- The grounds of a large country house.
- The art of governance; political science.
- A state; a polity.
- A set political system; civil administration.
- A trick; a stratagem.
- Motive; object; inducement.
Policy as a Verb
- To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.
Noun
- A contract of insurance.
A document containing or certifying this contract.
Your insurance policy covers fire and theft only.
- A contract of insurance.
- A document containing or certifying this contract.
Your insurance policy covers fire and theft only.
- An illegal daily lottery in late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA on numbers drawn from a lottery wheel (no plural)
- A number pool lottery
Noun
- A principle of behaviour, conduct etc. thought to be desirable or necessary, especially as formally expressed by a government or other authoritative body.
The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.
- Wise or advantageous conduct; prudence, formerly also with connotations of craftiness.
- (now chiefly in the plural) The grounds of a large country house.
Synonyms of Policy
Policy in a Sentence
The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.
It's company policy that all mobile phones are forbidden in meetings.
Federal policy is constructed in complex ways, involving legislation, regulation, and lobbying.
Please print extra copies of this policy and post them where it will be easy for everyone to see.
Your insurance policy covers fire and theft only.
Word Forms & Grammar
policy (countable and uncountable, plural policies)
policy (third-person singular simple present policies, present participle policying, simple past and past participle policied)
policy (plural policies)
Words That Rhyme With Policy
Origin of Policy
Origin 1: From Middle English policie, from Old French policie, pollicie and police, from Late Latin politia (“citizenship; government”), classical Latin polītīa (in Cicero), from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “citizenship; polis, (city) state; government”), from πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”). Doublet of police, polis (“police”), and polity.
Origin 2: From Middle French police, from Italian polizza, from Medieval Latin apodissa (“receipt for money”), from Ancient Greek ἀπόδειξις (apódeixis, “proof, declaration”). Doublet of apodixis.
How to Pronounce Policy
You say policy as /ˈpɒl.ə.si/. It has 3 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (pɒl).
Frequently Asked Questions About Policy
Is policy a noun or a verb?
Policy is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for policy?
You can replace policy with words such as insurance and insurance policy. See the full list of policy synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of policy?
The plural of policy is policies.
What is the past tense of policy?
The past tense of policy is policied. The present participle is policying.