noun
- plural of Gestapo; secret police forces or organizations known for brutal surveillance and repression, especially those modeled on or compared to the Nazi secret police
Usage: often used metaphorically or critically to describe any oppressive secret police organization; capitalized when referring to the historical Nazi organization; lowercase when used generically
Examples
- The regime's gestapos arrested citizens without due process.
- Critics compared the authoritarian government's secret police to gestapos.
- Historical accounts describe the brutality of the Nazi gestapos.
- The documentary exposed how gestapos operated during the occupation.
- Citizens lived in fear of the gestapos and their informants.