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
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Dec. 2025
Authorities have said Sunday’s shooting appears to have been inspired by the Islamic State, and police have ramped up patrols and policing in an effort to prevent further violence.
—Reuters, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
During its mission to support sanctions against North Korea, the New Zealand vessel patrolled 158,000 square miles of water, interrupted two possibly illicit ship-to-ship transfers, identified seven vessels of interest and broadcast 79 deterrence messages.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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Noun
Nobody is taking Ronan's release harder than Jonah, who asks to be put on a patrol unit near the projects where Ronan is known to live.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Dec. 2025
Authorities have said Sunday’s shooting appears to have been inspired by the Islamic State, and police have ramped up patrols and policing in an effort to prevent further violence.
—Reuters, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
Verb
There, police use a digital map that tells them where officers are patrolling and where the particular cameras in the center's network are positioned.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
During its mission to support sanctions against North Korea, the New Zealand vessel patrolled 158,000 square miles of water, interrupted two possibly illicit ship-to-ship transfers, identified seven vessels of interest and broadcast 79 deterrence messages.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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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