policy

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.

A document describing such a policy.

(law) A contract of insurance.

(law) A document containing or certifying this contract.

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

A number pool lottery

(Scotland, now chiefly in the plural) The grounds of a large country house.

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

(obsolete) The art of governance; political science.

(obsolete) A state; a polity.

(obsolete) A set political system; civil administration.

(obsolete) A trick; a stratagem.

(obsolete) Motive; object; inducement.

(obsolete) An illegal daily lottery in late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA on numbers drawn from a lottery wheel (no plural)

verb

(transitive) To regulate by laws; to reduce to order.

Roots

polispolic- · Greek · city, state

Synonyms for policy

interinsurancen insurancen strategyn noninterventionn protectionismn principlesn

Synonyms & related words for policy

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of policy — including interinsurance, insurance, strategy, nonintervention, protectionism, principles. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to policy

Explore words related to policy — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include impolicy, policymaking, polices, incrementalist, accommodationism, realpolitik, politics, statecraft. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for policy

Common synonyms for policy include interinsurance, insurance, strategy, nonintervention, protectionism, principles — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does policy come from?

The word policy breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root polic-, from Greek polis (“city, state”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.