patrol

noun

pa·trol | \pə-ˈtrōl

Definition of patrol

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

verb

patrolled; patrolling

Definition of patrol (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to carry out a patrol

transitive verb

: to carry out a patrol of

Other Words from patrol Example Sentences Learn More about patrol

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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

Four uniformed officers in two patrol cars arrived and were met by a 54-year-old woman who said there was another woman with a knife or razor burglarizing her second-floor apartment, Mr. Shea said at a news conference. — Katie Honan, WSJ, "NYPD Officers Fatally Shoot Woman in Queens Home," 17 Sep. 2018 On Wednesday, Department of Public Safety spokesman Jonathon Taylor said the trooper was traveling in an unmarked patrol car just under the 65 mph speed limit when a car going the opposite direction blew past at about 90 mph. — Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "As troopers investigate, new details emerge in Seward Highway crash that killed motorcyclist," 12 July 2018 On a spring morning last year, in the Keith Creek neighborhood of Rockford, Illinois, Eric Thurmond stopped his patrol car on a street shrouded by trees and veined with cracks. — Ben Austen, The New Republic, "How one American city chose to tackle crime, combat racism, and reckon with the legacy of police brutality," 21 June 2018 Compared to a regular bicycle, Lewison said this enables police on the bicycle patrol to get anywhere in the city quickly. — Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "South Milwaukee Police add motorized, locally built 'Cheata Bike' to their relaunched bicycle patrol," 2 July 2018 Therefore, the patrol urges motorists to drive carefully and follow all traffic laws. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, "Ohio Highway Patrol: 21 people died in crashes this time last year," 2 July 2018 Panic’ In fiscal 2017, the border patrol apprehended about 350,000 people, down about 24 percent from the previous year, the Department of Homeland Security said. — Fortune, "Prison Operators Could Cash In on ‘Zero Tolerance’ Immigration Policy," 28 June 2018 The border patrol’s Miami district saw only a trickle – 43 families and 42 unaccompanied children. — John Maines, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Families crossing border by the thousands," 22 June 2018 The crash happened shortly before midnight, according to the state patrol. — Jim Ryan, OregonLive.com, "Pedestrian dies after being hit by driver while crossing Clark County highway, troopers say," 12 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Hotel Nacional’s elegant outdoor bar, patrolled by emerald peacocks, evoked the romantic 1950s. — Tony Perrottet, WSJ, "A Weirdly Fascinating Cold-War Tour of Havana," 20 Nov. 2018 Those three can also patrol either of the corner outfield spots, as can Peralta. — Arizona Republic, azcentral, "Diamondbacks' depth forces Torey Lovullo to keep tinkering with outfield combinations," 9 July 2018 Off-duty Baltimore police also patrol the university, particularly on Charles Street and in the Charles Village and University Parkway areas. — Lauren Lumpkin, baltimoresun.com, "Johns Hopkins University says controversial security team has been on campus for years," 30 June 2018 Cavusoglu also said Turkey would need to dispatch more troops to patrol the area, along with Russia, while also retaining its 12 observation posts. — Fox News, "The Latest: UN Syria envoy says Idlib deal 'very good news'," 18 Sep. 2018 While the circumstances of Jean’s shooting are different from these other high-profile cases, there is one possible explanation for the racial disparities: Police tend to patrol high-crime neighborhoods, which are disproportionately black. — German Lopez, Vox, "The ongoing controversy around a black man killed by police in his own home, explained," 14 Sep. 2018 Kyaw Soe Moe, a local administrator, said authorities had seized multiple acres of Rohingya farmland to erect a fenced police compound to guard against terrorism in the area, which is now patrolled by pairs of rifle-toting officers. — Jon Emont And Myo Myo, WSJ, "Rohingya Muslims Who Remain in Myanmar Struggle to Survive," 8 Aug. 2018 Still, patrolling such places has always been the job of Border Patrol. — J. Weston Phippen, Outside Online, "Why Are NPS Park Police Headed to the Border?," 9 May 2018 Hoagland was two hours into his shift patrolling Liberty County, Florida, eight hundred square miles of the state’s Panhandle. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "The Renegade Sheriffs," 23 Apr. 2018

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.