posse

noun

pos·​se ˈpä-sē How to pronounce posse (audio)
1
: a large group often with a common interest
2
: a body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency
3
: a group of people temporarily organized to make a search (as for a lost child)
4

Did you know?

Posse started out in English as part of a term from common law, posse comitatus, which in Medieval Latin translates as “power or authority of the county.” Posse comitatus referred to a group of citizens summoned by a reeve (a medieval official) or sheriff to preserve the public peace as allowed for by law. “Preserving the public peace” so often meant hunting down a supposed criminal that posse eventually came to refer to any group organized to make a search or embark on a mission, and today one may read about posses organized for search and rescue efforts. In even broader use it can refer to any group, period. Sometimes nowadays that group is a gang or a rock band but it can as easily be any group—of politicians, models, architects, tourists, children, or what have you—acting together for some shared purpose.

Examples of posse in a Sentence

The sheriff and his posse rode out to look for the bandits. I went to the game with my posse.
Recent Examples on the Web The movie also features a scene in which two members of Chief’s posse rob a bank while disguised as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the real-life renegades immortalized by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, respectively, in the eponymous 1969 classic. Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 In 1917, a posse of 2,000 forcefully relocated 1,300 striking miners, their supporters, and bystanders to New Mexico after workers attempted to unionize, as reported by the visitor center. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 17 Feb. 2024 Made up of writers, scholars, urban planners and educators, the posse is on a mission to create cultural pride in the San Gabriel Valley. Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Apocalypse movies are breeding grounds for unlikely posses, and this Australian zom-com from writer-director Abe Forsythe is no exception. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 25 Nov. 2023 In February 1878, Tunstall was gunned down by a posse organized by Sheriff William Brady, who supported The House. Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 23 Nov. 2023 Another drawing depicts a chicken egg sailing from darkness toward light with a small posse of ball bearings and the serene dignity of an empress. Susan Tallman, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023 Behind all the finance sheets and code bases, the fall of FTX was in a way incredibly childish: a nerd posse running away with a bunch of other people’s money in the stupidest and simplest way possible. Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 31 Oct. 2023 Marianne remains the most blithe of the posse—even clues that society is breaking down around them can’t diminish her enthusiasm. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'posse.' 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

Medieval Latin posse comitatus, literally, power or authority of the county

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of posse was in 1645

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Dictionary Entries Near posse

Cite this Entry

“Posse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/posse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

posse

noun
pos·​se ˈpäs-ē How to pronounce posse (audio)
1
: a group of people called upon by a sheriff for help (as in pursuit of a criminal)
2
: a number of people organized to make a search (as for a lost child)

More from Merriam-Webster on posse

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