- a plan of action adopted or pursued by an individual, government, party, business, etc
- wisdom, prudence, shrewdness, or sagacity
- Scot (often plural) the improved grounds surrounding a country house
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pol•i•cy1 /ˈpɑləsi/USA pronunciation
n., pl. -cies.
pol•i•cy2 /ˈpɑləsi/USA pronunciation n. [countable], pl. -cies.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a definite course of action followed by a business, government, etc: [countable]a new company policy.[uncountable]U.S. trade policy needs new direction.
pol•i•cy2 /ˈpɑləsi/USA pronunciation n. [countable], pl. -cies.
- a document that has all the terms of a contract or agreement for insurance:an insurance policy on your home.
pol•i•cy1
(pol′ə sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cies.
pol•i•cy2 (pol′ə sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cies.
- a definite course of action adopted for the sake of expediency, facility, etc.:We have a new company policy.
- Governmenta course of action adopted and pursued by a government, ruler, political party, etc.:our nation's foreign policy.
- action or procedure conforming to or considered with reference to prudence or expediency:It was good policy to consent.
- sagacity;
shrewdness:Showing great policy, he pitted his enemies against one another. - Government[Rare.]government;
polity.
- Latin polītīa polity
- Middle French
- Middle English policie government, civil administration 1350–1400
- 1. strategy, principle, rule. 4. acumen, astuteness, skill, art.
- 4. ingenuousness, naiveté.
pol•i•cy2 (pol′ə sē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cies.
- a document embodying a contract of insurance.
- Gamesa method of gambling in which bets are made on numbers to be drawn by lottery.
- GamesSee numbers pool (def. 2).
- Medieval Latin apodīxa receipt
Greek apódeixis a showing or setting forth; see apodictic, -sis) + -y3 - Italian polizza
- Middle French police (
- 1555–65
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
policy /ˈpɒlɪsɪ/ n ( pl -cies)
policy /ˈpɒlɪsɪ/ n ( pl -cies)
- a document containing a contract of insurance
'policy' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
a
- activism
- align
- anti
- antiracism
- apartheid
- appeasement
- assured
- Astroturf
- austerity
- autarky
- axis
- backtrack
- Bank of England
- belt-and-braces
- beneficiary
- binder
- bonus
- Brandt
- business
- cabinet
- CAP
- caucus
- censorship
- centre
- Chamberlain
- charter
- claim
- clericalism
- Colbert
- Common Agricultural Policy
- comprehensive
- cooling-off period
- cover note
- democratic centralism
- Depretis
- dissuade
- dollar diplomacy
- dress-down Friday
- ecological
- economic rationalism
- editor
- employment equity
- empowerment
- enemy
- entryism
- equal opportunity
- equity-linked policy
- European Central Bank
- extract