patrol

1 of 3

noun (1)

pa·​trol pə-ˈtrōl 

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

patrol

2 of 3

verb

patrolled; patrolling

intransitive verb

: to carry out a patrol

transitive verb

: to carry out a patrol of

patroller noun

patroller

3 of 3

noun (2)

pa·​trol·​ler

-lə(r)

plural -s

: one that patrols : a member of a patrol

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

That evening, midnight-shift officers spotted the animal trotting on a residential street in the area and slowly pursued it in a patrol vehicle, some of which was shown in a short video clip the police department posted on social media Friday. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 July 2026

Two troopers a day are assigned to patrol CTfastrak, but Higgins announced that they’ll now be supplemented by high-visibility patrols from the Hartford Troop H barracks. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026

Verb

Ukrainian border guards patrol the area around the clock using armored vehicles, drones and other surveillance systems. — ABC News, 25 July 2026

During Coastal Commission comments, member Caryl Hart inquired about patrolling at night, but city representatives said the city currently does not have a program for night enforcement. — Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

French patrouiller, from Middle French, to tramp around in the mud, from patte paw — more at patten

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1648, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing patrol

• foot patrol
• patrol car
• patrol wagon
• shore patrol
• ski patrol

Rhymes for patrol

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• charcoal
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol

Kids 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