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
ABC News, 3 May 2026
Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard motors, are small, nimble and hard to detect.
—Adam Schreck, Fortune, 3 May 2026
Ginny Monk, ProPublica, 27 Apr. 2026
Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Noun
Hover said police had increased patrol staffing after separate shootings killed six people in Amarillo on March 22.
—ABC News, 3 May 2026
Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard motors, are small, nimble and hard to detect.
—Adam Schreck, Fortune, 3 May 2026
Verb
While the legislature required most involuntary tows from apartments to be triggered by specific complaints, residents said towing companies are continuing to patrol public housing and low-income apartment complexes and tow cars for minor violations.
—Ginny Monk, ProPublica, 27 Apr. 2026
Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Noun
-
But a Marine sentry was spotted outside the West Wing most of the day Saturday, usually a sign the president is at work.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The soldiers would have stayed as sentries before and after the performance, symbolically guarding the legacy of Taiwan’s founder.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ausar Thompson, who finished third in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting, guarded Mitchell on Tuesday.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
These sites also largely guard your data, sharing it only with their clients rather than with a wide group of affiliated companies.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The Administration listed field offices for closure, then delisted them, though some rural outposts, in Iowa, Montana, and West Virginia, offer only phone service owing to the loss of staff.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
The backstory This collection of stylish beach cottages is owned by Lord & Harrington, LLC, the company that also founded Batson River Brewing & Distilling, which has outposts in Kennebunk, Biddeford, Wells, and Portland, Maine.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Even without federal limits on chemicals like PFAS, states have the authority to protect public health and the environment.—
DYLAN JACKSON,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
-
Doing so, officials say, helps protect not only those rolling up their sleeves but those who cannot get vaccinated, such as the very youngest children.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Interior designer Maite Granda used low straight top picket fencing at street level of this Florida cottage set far back from the street to give the facade a welcoming and open feel.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
24 Apr. 2026
-
And unions have been printing and distributing signs, and organizing pickets and mega-rallies.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Bin Laden’s wife lunges at a commando and is shot in the leg but not killed.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
-
The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence elite SAS and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
With that portion of W 7th Street closed, along with other closures on Shepard Road and Jackson Street, fans attending the game or the watch party are encouraged to arrive early and account for changing routes.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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 9 May. 2026.
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