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
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.
One summer night in 1999, McChesney was conducting a traffic stop when a Crown Victoria – the sedan that dominated police fleets for decades – with exempt plates made a sudden U-turn and pulled up behind his patrol car. Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025 City officials say the cost for a special tax district, which would be spread among property owners, would likely amount to $200,000 to $300,000 per year for gates, round-the-clock security guards and a roving patrol car. Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025 The group recommended more training on the maneuvers, which are designed to end pursuits, and renewed its call for the department to install dash cameras in its patrol cars, which the agency has not done. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025 Photos in the incident reports show the patrol car struck by shrapnel, and an officer holding the metal shards. Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for patrol car

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of patrol car was in 1926

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Cite this Entry

“Patrol car.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol%20car. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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