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policy

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A principle of behaviour, conduct etc.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pahluhsee

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US recording
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɑləsi

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. 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.”

  2. law

    A contract of insurance.

  3. Wise or advantageous conduct; prudence, formerly also with connotations of craftiness.

  4. A number pool lottery

  5. Specifically, political shrewdness or (formerly) cunning; statecraft.

verb

  1. To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A principle of behaviour, conduct etc. thought to be desirable or necessary, especially as formally expressed by a government or other authoritative body.

Used this way, policy is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in government or politics and ethics or values contexts.

Heard in a sentence
“The Communist Party has a policy of returning power to the workers.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
Official and authoritative
Usage feel
Formal and precise

Where it naturally appears

  • Government/politics
  • Ethics/values

Usage note

It most often appears in the pattern “policy of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.

Natural pattern: policy of …

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use policy

  • “It was a policy of retribution.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

public policyinsurance policytrade policygovernment policynew policypolicy making

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • policy changenounCompound term

    A major change in attitude or principle or point of view.

  • policy makernounCompound term

    Someone who sets the plan pursued by a government or business etc.

  • council on environmental policynounCompound term

    The executive agency that advises the President on protecting the environment.

  • defence policynounCompound term

    A program for defending a country against its enemies.

  • defense policynounCompound term

    A program for defending a country against its enemies.

  • economic policynounCompound term

    A government policy for maintaining economic growth and tax revenues.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • policyholdernounRelated term

    A person who holds an insurance policy.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.