patrol car

noun

: a police automobile connected with headquarters by a two-way radio or computer : squad car

Placing an unarmed, compliant juvenile in the back of a patrol car transformed an investigatory stop into an arrest, the 9th Circuit held …

—The National Law Journal

Examples of patrol car in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Joshua Derek Guajardo, 40, sped up to 80 mph in a 55-mph zone, weaving in and out of traffic, and also nearly hit a patrol car before his Chevy Tahoe became disabled by the spike strip, the sheriff’s office said. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026

After the Camry crashed into a pole in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles, the driver allegedly reversed into a patrol car, and four deputies opened fire. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

As Spees escorted her toward his patrol car, Gialenes dropped her identification card on the ground and bent down to retrieve it, the lawsuit states. —Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026

Several patrol cars, their lights flashing, were scattered along neighboring streets. —Jamie Landers, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for patrol car

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar