as in guarded
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 patrolled
Security forces patrolled streets and guarded polling stations across the Himalayan nation of about 30 million people as voters lined up to cast their ballots.
—
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
They were met by protesters who organized marches, patrolled neighborhoods for ICE activity with whistles and ferried food to immigrants too afraid to leave their homes.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
Gretchen and the two teachers patrolled the dorms, while Jeremy and Anna worked in the kitchen with the children on cooking duty.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Hendry at one time patrolled the streets as a patrolman.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
This was a golden age, no matter what the polls said or your wallet said or the armed forces who now patrolled your streets with or without masks said.
—Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
The border had to be patrolled for Muslim men who would kill us.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
After 9/11, Japanese warships patrolled the Indian Ocean for the first time since 1945, as part of a collective response under UN auspices.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Several Redlands police vehicles patrolled the rally area, slowly rolling by.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
They were met by protesters who organized marches, patrolled neighborhoods for ICE activity with whistles and ferried food to immigrants too afraid to leave their homes.
—Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026
Gretchen and the two teachers patrolled the dorms, while Jeremy and Anna worked in the kitchen with the children on cooking duty.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Hendry at one time patrolled the streets as a patrolman.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026
This was a golden age, no matter what the polls said or your wallet said or the armed forces who now patrolled your streets with or without masks said.
—Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
The border had to be patrolled for Muslim men who would kill us.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
After 9/11, Japanese warships patrolled the Indian Ocean for the first time since 1945, as part of a collective response under UN auspices.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Several Redlands police vehicles patrolled the rally area, slowly rolling by.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrolled
Verb
-
To these critics, the pitfalls of feminist politics—that jealously guarded privileges of race and class keep women from uniting in the interests of their gender—are neatly symbolized in Stanton’s story.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Police heavily guarded the center in the hours after the attack.—
Liam Rappleye,
Freep.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bell-Dereske pointed out some seedlings strategically located in moist and protected spots to give them maximum chance to survive.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Graduate students in tie-dye shirts worked under fume hoods; on the glass that protected them from chemicals, synthesis reactions were scribbled in black marker.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patrolled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patrolled. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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