patrol

play

noun pa·trol \ pə-ˈtrōl \

Definition of patrol

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

See patrol defined for English-language learners

See patrol defined for kids

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

The guard makes a patrol of the building every hour.
Soldiers are on patrol along the border.
Army patrols combed the area.

Recent Examples of patrol from the Web

Patrol officers cannot articulate what community policing is.

— jsonline.com, "Trust damaged between Milwaukee police and community, Department of Justice draft report says," 30 Aug. 2017
Houston police confirmed on Tuesday that Sergeant Steve Perez, 60, drowned in his patrol car on his way to work.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Floodwater Still Rising as Harvey Makes Second Landfall in Louisiana," 30 Aug. 2017
Among them was a Houston police officer who drowned in his patrol car.

— toluse olorunnipa, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Surveys ‘Epic’ Damage as Texas Braces for Long Recovery," 29 Aug. 2017
Perez, 60, drowned in his patrol car after he was trapped in high water on his way to work.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Mobile police investigating wreck involving school bus," 29 Aug. 2017
Two police officers followed him, one on foot and another in a patrol car.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Police ‘shot him 13 times’ cousin says as community decries spate of officer shootings," 16 Aug. 2017
But those same police statistics show for the first half of the year that murders are up in that patrol division by 140 percent.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Fischer emphasizes lower crime rates amid homicide spike, Conrad no-confidence vote," 1 Aug. 2017
Havre de Grace Police officers also make regular checks on the park during their patrols, Martin said.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Havre de Grace council makes exception, approves application for APG event in Hutchins Park tent," 20 July 2017
Arradondo also said shift supervisors would work with patrol officers to ensure the cameras are turned on more frequently.

— kyle potter, The Seattle Times, "Minnesota shooting shows underuse of police body cameras," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'patrol.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of patrol

1664

patrol

verb

Definition of patrol

patrolled; patrolling

intransitive verb

:to carry out a patrol

transitive verb

:to carry out a patrol of

—

patroller

noun

See patrol defined for English-language learners

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

The squad had orders to patrol the area.
The border is patrolled by the army.

Recent Examples of patrol from the Web

Belk Bowl: With Brian Kelly and Will Muschamp patrolling opposite sidelines, every referee, player, coach and fan in that stadium would be one false word away from the chewing-out of a lifetime.

— eric single, SI.com, "Bowl Projections: 2017's First Look at All 39 Projected Matchups," 29 Aug. 2017
Now paramilitary forces patrol Karachi’s streets and attacks of magnitude are rare.

— chris kay, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Calls Out Pakistan Even as Security Situation Improves," 22 Aug. 2017
On August 2, 1943, a moonless night, while patrolling between Kolombangara Island and Ghizo Island, Kennedy and his crew were on maneuvers in their patrol boat (PT 109) and in the path of the Japanese destroyer, Amagiru Maru.

— lisa niver, Smithsonian, "Commemorating WWII History in the Solomon Islands," 22 Aug. 2017
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office patrols the town instead of city police, and City Hall resides in a mobile home with one full-time staffer — though that's a step up from the dive bar where City Council met until the owner bounced them out.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "This Texas Town Went Full Libertarian and Hilarity Ensued," 7 Aug. 2017
Now the Missouri state trooper commutes an hour to patrol the big city.

— tim craig and emma ockerman, chicagotribune.com, "With rising homicides in big cities, Republican governors intensify police patrols," 6 Aug. 2017
Although Minnesota has the largest Somali-American population in the country, Noor became the first Somali-American cop assigned to patrol the city's Fifth Precinct in 2016.

— lincoln anthony blades, Teen Vogue, "Mohamed Noor Is Proof That "Blue Lives" Are a Falsehood," 26 July 2017
Operation Sentinelle, in force since the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, requires as many as 10,000 soldiers to be deployed to patrol city streets and guard schools.

— The Economist, "France’s top general quits, in a test for Emmanuel Macron," 20 July 2017
The ranchers yanked the salt block inadvertently placed near the wolves’ activity area and hired two more people to patrol the allotment.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "With cattle in Washington’s wolf country, ranchers work and worry," 14 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of patrol

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1648

See Words from the same year

PATROL Defined for English Language Learners

patrol

play

noun

Definition of patrol for English Language Learners

: the act of walking or going around or through an area, building, etc., in order to make sure that it is safe : the act of patrolling an area
: a group of people, vehicles, etc., that go through an area to make sure that it is safe : a group that patrols an area

patrol

verb

Definition of patrol for English Language Learners

: to walk or go around or through (an area, building, etc.) especially in order to make sure that it is safe

PATROL Defined for Kids

patrol

play

noun pa·trol \ pə-ˈtrōl \

Definition of patrol for Students

1 :the action of going around an area to make sure that it is safe

2 :a person or group going around an area to make sure that it is safe

3 :a part of a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop

patrol

verb

Definition of patrol for Students

patrolled; patrolling

:to go around an area for the purpose of watching or protecting

Learn More about patrol

See words that rhyme with patrol Spanish Central: Translation of patrol Nglish: Translation of patrol for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of patrol for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up patrol? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

patrol

Definition of patrol

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples of patrol from the Web

First Known Use of patrol

patrol

Definition of patrol

patroller

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples of patrol from the Web

Origin and Etymology of patrol

Phrases Related to PATROL

Related Phrases

PATROL Defined for English Language Learners

patrol

Definition of patrol for English Language Learners

patrol

Definition of patrol for English Language Learners

PATROL Defined for Kids

patrol

Definition of patrol for Students

patrol

Definition of patrol for Students

Learn More about patrol

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066