COPS Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

cops 1 of 2

noun

plural of cop

as in policemen

a member of a force charged with law enforcement at the local level a cop stopped her for speeding

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

civilians

cops

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cop, slang

as in buys

to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for I copped a great outfit for only $50

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grabs

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly some concertgoers rushed pell-mell through the doors so that they could cop the seats down front

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of cops

Noun

She was found with fractures to her pelvis and femur, according to cops. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 Also well drawn is the relationship between Caitlyn and her longtime fiancé John (Max Minghella), one of Gotham’s few uncorrupt cops who happens to be investigating the string of murders that follow in Matt’s wake. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 Vance arrived in a motorcade befitting a world leader – six black SUVs, some police vehicles, and some motorcycle cops. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Dozens of armored cops were still standing guard, shields raised, after a night when 500 people were taken into custody in the French capital alone. — Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 With no police in sight, Sanaa and other shopkeepers who were targeted along the Rue Étienne Marcel watched as small groups of looters used mobile phones to tip each other off to the cops’ whereabouts, handily winning the cat-and-mouse chase. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Literally after the film, there was false-flag stuff from the extreme right, who were dressed as hooligans, dressed as cops. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 In the action movie, the cops usually have to bribe the person with access to the surveillance tool with cookies and booze to run a search without a warrant, right? — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 Since the nineteen-nineties, a Korean New Wave had been praised for embedding capitalist critique in movies packed with monsters, slithering octopuses, killers, and killer cops. — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cops

Noun

Onlookers and policemen rushed to the balloon’s basket to find the three men lying crumpled on the ground.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
When plans were made for a visit to Japan by President Eisenhower in 1960—it was eventually called off—there weren’t enough policemen to guard his route into Tokyo, so the yakuza were mobilized to help.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of policemen

Verb

Pair a winning culture of a respected NBA franchise with a top five talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo and blockbuster is supposed to happen, if the main characters stay healthy, everyone buys in, and the sports Gods are kind.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Blacksmith instead buys its own machines, tens of thousands of them, according to Jayaprakash, and installs them in data centers around the world.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of buys

Verb

If anyone who is hired to MC one of the largest events in golf grabs a microphone and joins in on ‘f you’ chants directed at a player in the event you're being paid to be a part of, that person is undoubtedly being fired, regardless of gender.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
The suspect runs inside, grabs rolls of lottery tickets, stuffs them into a bag and runs out.

— Tara Lynch, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabs

Noun

Rescue operations were complicated, with police firing tear gas at people who had begun looting neighboring shops, as officers sought to clear the area and provide access to emergency response teams.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
The other person, who police believe to be a man, fled the scene before officers arrived, Gonzalez said.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of officers

Verb

Hotels now serve the fish to staff and guests; Hilton Hawaiian Village alone purchases about 500 lbs a month.

— Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
The brand purchases roughly 2,000 items a year, which join its permanent collection of 40,000 archival objects, 200,000 documents and one million digital assets, said Aurélie Samuel, director of art, culture and heritage at Louis Vuitton.

— Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of purchases

Verb

Life and social structures in remote river villages are rooted in summer fish camps, where the community catches, processes, and preserves the salmon that feeds them through the winter.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Participants step or jump off a platform more than 40 feet above the ground, experiencing a brief moment of free fall before the rope system catches them and slowly lowers them to the ground.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026