noun
policy
POL-uh-see
noun
1
A course of action or set of principles adopted by a government, organization, or person.
"The company changed its return policy last month."
"The government's foreign policy came under heavy criticism."
2
A contract of insurance.
"Check your policy to see what damage it actually covers."
How to Use Policy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn official plan or set of rules for how something should be done, or an insurance contract.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "policy" as in insurance — same word, different context, and easily distinguished by the surrounding sentence.
Common pairings
company policy
insurance policy
foreign policy
set a policy
Word Forms
policied past tense, policies plural, policies plural, policies singular
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The company changed its return _____ last month.
Etymology
From Old French policie, from Latin politia, "citizenship, government." A doublet of "police" and "polity."