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
Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025
Recent immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area sparked widespread protests and small riots downtown, as people threw rocks at law enforcement and set patrol vehicles on fire, and federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper spray.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2025
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
Located near the Norris Geyser Basin, the park log structure dates to 1897 when Yellowstone was protected and patrolled by the U.S. Army.
—Diana Lambdin Meyer, USA Today, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Verb
They were first spotted by military patrol and then handed over to the police.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025
Recent immigration sweeps in the Los Angeles area sparked widespread protests and small riots downtown, as people threw rocks at law enforcement and set patrol vehicles on fire, and federal agents responded with tear gas and pepper spray.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2025
Noun
The Chinese military has regularly patrolled around Huangyan Dao to assert the East Asian power's sovereignty.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025
Located near the Norris Geyser Basin, the park log structure dates to 1897 when Yellowstone was protected and patrolled by the U.S. Army.
—Diana Lambdin Meyer, USA Today, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Verb
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In the first quarter, Clark was being guarded closely and well out from beyond the 3-point line.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
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During a recent interview in Rolling Stone, Murph was guarded but self-reflective.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
Noun
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The tree had long been a way marker and memory maker: a site of wedding proposals and remembrance ceremonies, a sentry in photos from one-in-a-lifetime family vacations, taped to fridges across the world.—
Amelia Nierenberg,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Anduril makes everything from small drones to sentry towers used to police the U.S.-Mexico border systems to enable pilotless vehicles.—
William Hartung,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The East Asian power provided air defense systems to the Balkan nation to help protect its airspace, raising concerns in the United States about Serbia's path toward European integration.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
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Applying a daily sunscreen can help protect your skin from UV rays.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
15 July 2025
Noun
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The international brands all have their outposts, of course, mostly on the Via Camerelle, while Jackie Kennedy’s favorite, La Parisienne Capri, is still on Piazza Umberto.—
Richard Godwin,
Travel + Leisure,
12 July 2025
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Philippe Chow, the upscale Beijing-style restaurant out of New York, will officially open its Nashville outpost in August.—
Hadley Hitson,
The Tennessean,
11 July 2025
Noun
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More pickets are planned at a handful of supermarkets.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
8 June 2025
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The International Brotherhood of Teamsters helped coordinate a picket effort at nine Amazon facilities in December.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That likely would have meant a very different kind of operation, including commandos on the ground -- a much higher cost in terms of lives, an official said.—
ByJack Moore,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
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Reno will star as a former WWI commando whose life of quiet service is violently disrupted when a dangerous past resurfaces.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Remove any watches, rings or jewelry that could constrict swelling.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
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Walmart The Lily 2 is Garmin’s lovely little lady watch.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
9 July 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 23 Jul. 2025.
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