1. a group of people organized by a sheriff to help catch criminals or maintain order
Usage: historical; law enforcement
2. a group of friends or associates who spend time together
Usage: informal

Examples

• The sheriff formed a posse to track down the escaped prisoner.
• A posse of volunteers searched the woods for the missing hiker.
• In old Western movies, the sheriff always gathered a posse to chase the outlaws.
• She arrived at the party with her usual posse of college friends.
• The celebrity was surrounded by his posse of bodyguards and assistants.
• The posse rode out at dawn to pursue the bank robbers.