policy

1 of 2

noun (1)

pol·​i·​cy ˈpä-lə-sē How to pronounce policy (audio)
plural policies
often attributive
1
a
: prudence or wisdom in the management of affairs
b
: management or procedure based primarily on material interest
2
a
: a definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions
b
: a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures especially of a governmental body

policy

2 of 2

noun (2)

plural policies
1
: a writing whereby a contract of insurance is made
2
a
: a daily lottery in which participants bet that certain numbers will be drawn from a lottery wheel

Examples of policy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Musk has amplified various tweets arguing DEI policies are dangerous, leading to poorer standards in medical care and airline safety. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024 These e-commerce sites are operated under different terms and privacy policies than ABC. Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024 For years, district policy required the committee to have six district staff, a high school student-body president and five community members, including members representing different community or ethnic groups. Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 Such policies can turn patients off and create mistrust in the system. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 While gun policies can be politically polarizing, Dettmann said encouraging the safe storage of firearms shouldn’t be controversial at all. Josh Campbell, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 The state also had lacked a disclosure policy requiring property owners to share a property’s flood history with buyers and renters. Amy Green, WIRED, 16 Mar. 2024 Meo was previously executive director of regulatory policy at Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) and comes as Prometheum Capital, a subsidiary of Prometheum, received approval to offer services related to digital asset securities. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Kelly previously served as special assistant to the president for economic policy. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'policy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English policie, pollecye "art or practice of government, system of government, commonwealth, organization or conduct of affairs, practical skill, prudence," borrowed from Anglo-French policie, pollecie "governance, system of government" (Middle French also, "a political organization, the state, conduct, behavior"), borrowed from Late Latin polītīa "citizenship, political organization, government" — more at police entry 1

Note: The term is a doublet of police entry 1; see note at that entry.

Noun (2)

earlier police, pollecy (in the phrase police/pollecy of assurance, after French pollice d'assurance), borrowed from Middle French police, pollice "certificate, written proof," probably borrowed from Italian polizza, pollizza "receipt, promissory note," alteration of apodissa, appodissa (by absorption of initial a- by the definite article and shift of -d- to a lateral), borrowed from Medieval Latin apodixa, apodissa "receipt," borrowed from Middle Greek apódeixis, going back to Greek, "making known, proof," from apodeik-, stem of apodeíknymi, apodeiknýnai "to point out, make known, prove" + -sis -sis — more at apodictic

Note: The English variant with -cy is presumably assimilation to policy entry 1, ending in a familiar suffix; it appears to have displaced police at an early date. — Middle French police has also been taken as a loan from Old Occitan polissia, itself borrowed from Italian, or directly from Medieval Latin or Greek; the editors of Trésor de la langue française reject this on grounds of the location of the earliest citations. The shift of a dental to a lateral in (apodissa > polizza) is perhaps best explained as direct borrowing into Italian from vernacular Greek, where the dental would have been a voiced interdental fricative; as Italian lacked this sound, it was transferred as an -l- (compare the etymology of pilot entry 1). This alters somewhat the path of transmission in the etymology above, perhaps removing Medieval Latin as an intermediary.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of policy was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near policy

Cite this Entry

“Policy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

policy

1 of 2 noun
pol·​i·​cy ˈpäl-ə-sē How to pronounce policy (audio)
plural policies
: a course of action chosen in order to guide people in making decisions
a country's foreign policy

policy

2 of 2 noun
plural policies
: a document that contains the agreement made by an insurance company with a person whose life or property is insured

Legal Definition

policy

1 of 2 noun
pol·​i·​cy ˈpä-lə-sē How to pronounce policy (audio)
plural policies
: an overall plan, principle, or guideline
especially : one formulated outside of the judiciary
obligated to consider legislative policy on the matter in their decision

policy

2 of 2 noun
plural policies
: a contract of insurance
also : the written instrument of such a contract

More from Merriam-Webster on policy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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