as in to guard
to walk or go around or through (an area, building, etc.) especially in order to make sure that it is safe
The squad had orders to patrol the area. The border is patrolled by the army.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patrol
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
All three of the people involved were wearing seat belts, according to the patrol.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, National Guard troops patrolled monuments and Metro stations, some with assault rifles.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Noun
In addition to the collaborative effort between local departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety will add 10 permanent highway patrol troopers to the efforts across the county, DPS Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
All three of the people involved were wearing seat belts, according to the patrol.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
Police often patrol the area to ensure no one breaches the perimeter wall.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, National Guard troops patrolled monuments and Metro stations, some with assault rifles.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Noun
-
Reenactors portraying British sentries were bum-rushed by a swarm of whooping Green Mountain Boys.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
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The Russian military has been observing the Ukrainian military’s use of combat robots and is preparing to invest more in this area to help with tasks such as sentry duty, logistics, mining and demining, and undersea surveillance.—
DARA MASSICOT,
Foreign Affairs,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But beneath her wit and warmth lies something guarded, secrets and sorrows carefully concealed.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Three days after the inmate was injured, a sheriff’s sergeant working overtime was assigned to guard the inmate at the hospital, according to prosecutors.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Folsom was once a bustling outpost where Gold Rush miners and merchants converged.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Until a few weeks ago, however, the Chiefs’ outpost inside SubTropolis flew largely under the radar, serving primarily as a depository for historical documents, films, trophies, uniforms and photos.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In addition to preserving natural ecosystems and the sustainable fisheries that depend on them, reefs may help to protect coastlines from storms and floods, which will become ever more urgent as climate change and rising sea levels give rise to more dangerous storms.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Oct. 2025
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By strengthening the muscles and protecting cartilage, these exercises can help reduce pain from overstressed, stiff joints.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Baristas at Starbucks cafes across the country are holding pickets this week as part of a collective push for a union contract, and Phoenix workers are joining in.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
28 Oct. 2025
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Where will Starbucks Workers United hold rallies and pickets?—
Mike Snider,
Louisville Courier Journal,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
One of the officers, a special-forces commando who discussed the operation on condition of anonymity, recalls lying in the pitch-dark belly of a river barge alongside dozens of his comrades, all of them armed to the hilt, eyeing one another through night-vision goggles.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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Sitting on a waterproof Vibram commando sole, the upper of the shoe is crafted in suede in Fracap’s headquarters in Puglia, Italy.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If there is a potential for temperatures to fall into these thresholds, a freeze watch may be issued a few days ahead of time.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
2 Nov. 2025
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Television cameras showed Schneider tapping at the watch on his wrist before throwing his arms up in apparent anger.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The north was expected to be America’s rear guard, a place where values like democracy and women’s rights might have taken hold.—
Azam Ahmed,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
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And assassins from a coalition of all the local indigenous tribes — out for blood over the murder of Jimmy the Creek, one of their own, last episode — slit the throats of Ming’s rear guard.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patrol. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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