patrol

1 of 2

noun

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 2

verb

patrolled; patrolling

intransitive verb

: to carry out a patrol

transitive verb

: 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

Noun

Their replacement, the Columbia-class, is expected to begin entering service in the coming decade and is designed to conduct deterrent patrols for several decades. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Mar. 2026

County leaders say the system is a first-of-its-kind addition to patrol vehicles and comes as dry conditions continue to elevate wildfire risk across the area. —Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026

Verb

In addition to regular forces, thousands of temporary police officers have been deployed, and army troops — generally confined to barracks — are patrolling streets and guarding polling stations. —ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026

Seibert, who has worked for the Sheriff’s Office for 18 years, patrolling Eagle for the past six, watches the weekend travelers inch their way south from getaways in McCall and Cascade home to the suburbs of Boise. —Rose Evans updated March 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 Mar. 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

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