secret police

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An agent for the NKVD, the Soviet Union’s secret police, arranged an introduction between Mercader and Sylvia Ageloff, a left-wing social worker from Brooklyn, N.Y., whose sister had once been Trotsky’s secretary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, refuted descriptions of ICE as a secret police force.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

That doesn’t cover everyone, but it’s a pretty broad blow to the secret police: It means uniformed, on-duty agents are legally obligated to have identification at all times.

From Slate • Oct. 10, 2025

Critics argue that his reluctance to fully reform the justice system or confront the legacy of the Securitate – the feared secret police – allowed a culture of impunity to take root.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2025

The secret police wanted Shostakovich to answer questions about his friendship with Marshal Tukhachevsky, formerly head of the Red Army, who was being set up for a show trial.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall