patrol

1 of 2

noun

pa·​trol pə-ˈtrōl How to pronounce patrol (audio)
1
a
: the action of traversing a district or beat or of going the rounds along a chain of guards for observation or the maintenance of security
b
: the person performing such an action
c
: a unit of persons or vehicles employed for reconnaissance, security, or combat
2
: a subdivision of a Boy Scout troop or Girl Scout troop

patrol

2 of 2

verb

patrolled; patrolling

intransitive verb

: to carry out a patrol

transitive verb

: to carry out a patrol of
patroller noun

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

Noun The guard makes a patrol of the building every hour. Soldiers are on patrol along the border. Army patrols combed the area. Verb The squad had orders to patrol the area. The border is patrolled by the army.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Documents stated after leaving the scene to inform the woman’s parents of her death, a highway safety officer with the department noticed Anderson’s Ford F-150 patrol vehicle had front-end damage. The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 By purchasing an icon and placing it on the patrol vehicle on site, the community covered the cruiser with donation tags, but that is not all it was covered with. Mylene Stolpe, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 Smith then walked to the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle, shot Hare again, and pushed him into the passenger seat before driving away in the patrol vehicle, according to state police. Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Then, without warning, Smith pulled out a firearm and shot Hare, and walked to the driver’s side and shot the officer again, before pushing Hare into the passenger seat and driving away in the patrol vehicle, Weisler said. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Border patrol agent Brandon Budlong, president of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2724, will be the guest of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the chair of the House Republican Caucus. Jacqui Heinrich, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 Eventually, his father said, Julio César was injured and could no longer go out on patrol. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 And though jurors found both officers liable of violating Johnson’s rights, a Denver police investigation found no policy violations, the officers did not face disciplinary action, and both still work in the patrol division, a police department spokesperson told CNN this week. Holly Yan, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Neither do police in Houston, which only began using the devices in a patrol capacity in February 2023. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
While Palestinian security staff members patrol each corner of the grounds and the entrances to the mosques, shrines, and library, Jerusalem youths, known to their community and the Israeli police, act as plainclothes sentries to prevent provocations from either side. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024 Increase Denver Police Department patrols Deploy case managers to conduct weekly check-ins with each resident. Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Dogs also patrol and search hard-to-reach areas, such as federal wildlife refuges; track people on Forest Service land and for the Veterans Affairs Police; and apprehend suspects for law enforcement agencies like the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 In January, a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border lost power and crashed, leaving the co-pilot with a minor hand injury and heavily damaging the helicopter. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024 The National Guard often patrols major transportation hubs like Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Ana Ley, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The department has a dedicated division of 25 officers whose primary job is patrolling the West 7th district on weekend nights. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2024 Soldiers were also deployed to patrol the vicinity of the National Palace. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Cersei patrolled the Red Keep's corridors, Dany stood at Dragonstone, and Jon Snow sailed south and north and south again. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patrol.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

French patrouiller, from Middle French, to tramp around in the mud, from patte paw — more at patten

First Known Use

Noun

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1648, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of patrol was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near patrol

Cite this Entry

“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

patrol

1 of 2 noun
pa·​trol pə-ˈtrōl How to pronounce patrol (audio)
1
a
: the action of going the rounds of an area for observation or guard
b
: the person or group doing the patrolling
2
: a part of a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop

patrol

2 of 2 verb
patrolled; patrolling
: to carry out a patrol or a patrol of
patroller noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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