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
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
During his time in Iraq, Ross was a machine gunner on a combat logistical patrol team, court documents show.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
In the nation's capital, law enforcement set up checkpoints around the city and National Guard troops patrolled, even cleaning graffiti and picking up trash.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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Noun
According to the Hindu, local eyewitnesses have said that the elephant attacks mostly at night while people are sleeping, and residents have been using firecrackers and patrol teams to keep the animal away from heavily populated areas.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
During his time in Iraq, Ross was a machine gunner on a combat logistical patrol team, court documents show.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
Police urge community cooperation FWPD spokesperson Daniel Segura said officers regularly patrol parks and open spaces, but emphasized that community involvement is critical.
—CBS News, 10 Jan. 2026
In the nation's capital, law enforcement set up checkpoints around the city and National Guard troops patrolled, even cleaning graffiti and picking up trash.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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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