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
Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
Since September, border patrol agents have arrested 1,500 people, according to CBS News.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 14 Nov. 2025
Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025
The agency patrols 6,000 miles of international border between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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.
Noun
One of the individuals, a man, then walked away, and as the rest of the group dispersed, Parks got back into his patrol vehicle, drove a short distance and stopped along the curb to the right of the first person who had walked away, the indictment alleges.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
Since September, border patrol agents have arrested 1,500 people, according to CBS News.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 14 Nov. 2025
Verb
Indian armed forces patrolling the streets in Pahalgam in the Himalayan region of Kashmir in April after a deadly militant attack on Indian tourists.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025
The agency patrols 6,000 miles of international border between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 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 16 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share