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