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
patrolled; patrolling
: to carry out a patrol
: 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
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, Abby went out to take watch and spotted two people on horseback, later revealed to be Joel and Dina, who had gone out early on patrol together.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2025
San Diego County sailors have also been patrolling the border area by sea, with USS Stockdale, a destroyer, taking up a position.
—Caleb Lunetta, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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Noun
Joel and Dina are out on patrol and so are Ellie and Jesse.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, Abby went out to take watch and spotted two people on horseback, later revealed to be Joel and Dina, who had gone out early on patrol together.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
According to her, this would include beautifying Village Creek Park, more police officers to patrol the area, repairs to road markers, better animal control and more speed bumps to make the area safer for children.
—Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2025
San Diego County sailors have also been patrolling the border area by sea, with USS Stockdale, a destroyer, taking up a position.
—Caleb Lunetta, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patrol
1 of 2 noun
pa·trol
pə-ˈtrōl 
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
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