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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
They were first spotted by military patrol and then handed over to the police. Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025 Recent immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area sparked widespread protests and small riots downtown, as people threw rocks at law enforcement and set patrol vehicles on fire, and federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper spray. Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2025
Verb
In the nineteen-eighties, a man with long hair, a black leather jacket, and a huge chain of keys patrolled my Upper West Side block, moving cars during alternate-side-parking periods. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 Once seized by the state, troopers from Texas and Florida patrolled the premises and didn’t let anyone in without permission, including U.S. Border Patrol agents, according to the Biden administration. Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 28 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for patrol

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on patrol

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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