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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Recent Examples of patrol
Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Students will learn about evidence collection, patrol operations, technology, including the drone program, as well as defensive tactics and firearms safety.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Chase Jordan
march 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
The boats, officially called Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, or GARC, have patrolled for more than 450 hours and more than 2,200 nautical miles since the war began, Hawkins said in the statement.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Noun
As the students rested at lunch tables, one officer described working patrol, responding to calls from minor incidents to emergencies.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Students will learn about evidence collection, patrol operations, technology, including the drone program, as well as defensive tactics and firearms safety.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Police thwarted the plot while patrolling the area after spotting two suspicious individuals.
—Chase Jordan
march 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 Mar. 2026
The boats, officially called Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, or GARC, have patrolled for more than 450 hours and more than 2,200 nautical miles since the war began, Hawkins said in the statement.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Noun
-
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
-
Police had taped off several square blocks around Sixth Street, while local police and federal authorities, including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, were at the site, according to Austin police officers serving as sentries.—
Jack Myer,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In it, after her fisherman husband disappears at sea, Telsi takes a job as a cleaning lady on a boat moored at the local marina, guarded by a group of women.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Suddenly the island’s shores, always guarded, opened for those who wanted to leave.—
Sarah Moreno,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The decision to legalize the outposts, made in a security cabinet meeting on March 25, comes amid a surge in settler violence towards Palestinians since the beginning of the Iran war.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
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Onabanjo also has familiarity with the Walther Collection, having previously served as the director of exhibitions and collections for the collection’s New York outpost.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Choose fairness to protect your peace.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In 2023, state Medicaid agencies began making sure enrollees who were protected from being dropped from the program during the covid pandemic still qualified for coverage.—
Sam Whitehead,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
People spanning the width of the streets are passionately chanting and hoisting their picket signs in a patriotic parade, of sorts.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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With the rise of incel content and tradwife propaganda on social media networks, America may be more fixated on the picket-fence ideal than ever.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence that elite Australian Special Air Service and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The Wall Street Journal added that the airman, who eluded capture for 36 hours and hid in a remote mountain crevice, was rescued by a specialized commando force.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Horner, wearing his FedEx shirt and with his hands cuffed behind his back, watches as investigators search the thick bamboo, finding nothing.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
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While undoubtedly a difficult watch, Boy Erased is ultimately a story of resilience, with an achingly vulnerable performance by Hedges.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 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 11 Apr. 2026.
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