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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of patrol
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Police said that a description of the man was given to police dispatch and broadcasted out to other patrol officers, including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2025
Aron Solomon
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Perez-Engel was spotted by a Clay County sheriff’s deputy patrolling the area, Boyd said in the release.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Verb
Eugene Roy was part of the Chicago Police Department from 1986 to 2016, starting as a patrol officer and retiring as the city's chief detective.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Police said that a description of the man was given to police dispatch and broadcasted out to other patrol officers, including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
Soldiers patrolling the capital of a constitutional democracy.
—Aron Solomon
september 3, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
Perez-Engel was spotted by a Clay County sheriff’s deputy patrolling the area, Boyd said in the release.
—Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Verb
-
Strong support for keeping those requirements comes from existing homeowners guarding the value of their homes, their greatest investment, speakers said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Sep. 2025
-
In 2021, linebacker Nick Bolton, center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith started.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Aside from scouting, sending messages or sentry duty, some dogs were trained for direct combat.—
Vic Verbalaitis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Rows of lights stood like sentries above, adorned with flat visors that guided the glow onto the action.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Twin Cities,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Michôd says that Sweeney was initially tentative about Martin's involvement, wanting to protect her own creative space, but opened up upon realizing that Martin wasn't going to try and control her performance.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Sources close to Spence, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, described him as an introvert to The Athletic in February.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Mexican outpost offers over 1,000 treatments.—
Sherrie Nachman,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The London banner marks the first international outpost of Plan B, the Oscar winning company co-led by Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
She was joined by dancers and famous drag queens, like Denali and Lexi Love, some of whom held up picket signs supporting trans rights.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The militancy of the B&N campaign, which involved actions including delegations, practice pickets, and a couple of walkouts, made conditions more favorable for other union campaigns to push back against their bosses.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former army commando, said attending the sermons and discussions with the imam taught him about the risks of home births.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Sklenar is playing the commando.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The show, now in its sixth year, has become an important date on the calendar for watch lovers and the trade alike, and stands as the most inclusive show based on new introductions from the 66 participating brands.—
Carol Besler,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share