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
Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
The Metro Nashville Police Department released the footage showing officers responding to Chief's on Broadway after a chair fell from the roof and landed next to a patrol vehicle on April 7, 2024.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
When a Democratic Congress responded by trying to pass a bill codifying it into law, Reagan vetoed the bill and his deregulation-fixated (but also indecency-patrolling) FCC commissioner, Mark Fowler led the commission to abolish the Fairness Doctrine.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Verb
Two patrol boats were dispatched to shadow the vessel.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
The Metro Nashville Police Department released the footage showing officers responding to Chief's on Broadway after a chair fell from the roof and landed next to a patrol vehicle on April 7, 2024.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
Echoing childhood memories Like many other people who sought safety in the United States, Davis, California, resident Griselda Gonzalez said watching federal troops patrolling Los Angeles conjured up painful childhood memories.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
When a Democratic Congress responded by trying to pass a bill codifying it into law, Reagan vetoed the bill and his deregulation-fixated (but also indecency-patrolling) FCC commissioner, Mark Fowler led the commission to abolish the Fairness Doctrine.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Verb
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Although Taylor Swift famously bares her soul in her songwriting, she's historically been guarded about her personal life.—
Janey Tracey,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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There’s a bar that’s stocked with bourbon, tequila, and moonshine and a couple of porcelain cheetahs guarding a cabinet full of old records.—
Sid Evans,
Southern Living,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Aside from scouting, sending messages or sentry duty, some dogs were trained for direct combat.—
Vic Verbalaitis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
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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
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The best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on, officials say.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The commission reports the use of the ATMs by scammers, who urge consumers to deposit cash into them to protect their savings, is on the rise.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While Schloss Fuschl isn’t Rosewood’s first Austrian outpost (that title belongs to their 99-room Vienna hotel, which opened in 2022 inside Mozart’s former home), its lakefront setting and castle-style accommodations are so dramatic, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.—
Siobhan Reid,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
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This funky mountain outpost is more about the experience than just the meal.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While searching Wallen, an officer pulled out a pocket knife from his front picket.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
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Ellis also says that the local is planning some coordinated action to protest Disney’s decision, including an informational picket to let the public know about its concerns, though nothing is set in stone quite yet.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a plot that echoes that of their last film, The Beekeeper, Statham stars as an ex-commando who’s since turned a new leaf as a construction worker.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
1 Sep. 2025
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In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, the flagship of a flotilla crewed by a 600-strong alliance of pro-Palestinian activists, aid workers, politicians, and doctors.—
Dan Sheehan,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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How the team adjusts in their first game without their best player will be worth the watch.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 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 7 Oct. 2025.
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