the force

the force — idiom

1. the group of officers who keep order and stop crime in a town, city, or country,

1.慣用語B2
釋義

the group of officers who keep order and stop crime in a town, city, or country, spoken about as one body

例句

Ramón joined the force at twenty-two and walked the same streets for thirty years.

join the force — entering the police as a career

After the robbery near the market, the force sent four officers to question the shopkeepers.

the force as subject — acting as one body

同義詞
  • the police

    the plain, neutral term; works in every variety of English, while 'the force' sounds more like insider or career talk

  • the constabulary

    formal British term for a regional police body; far more official in tone than 'the force'

  • the cops

    very informal and slightly slangy; 'the force' is informal but still respectable enough for a job interview

文法句型

join the force

be in the force

leave the force

用法筆記

Almost always takes 'the' and refers to the local or national police as a single organisation; you talk about joining, serving in, or leaving 'the force', not about 'a force' meaning one officer. Most common in British and Irish English.

常見錯誤

❌My brother is a force.
✅My brother is in the force.
💡'the force' names the whole police body, not one officer.
❌She joined force last year.
✅She joined the force last year.
💡the phrase needs 'the' to mean the police.