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
Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Local bank parking lots will be dotted with extra police patrols this week after a string of robberies at ATM machines last week.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 June 2025
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Verb
Day and night, teams of 5-10 patrol the area of 50,000 acres.
—Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Local bank parking lots will be dotted with extra police patrols this week after a string of robberies at ATM machines last week.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 June 2025
Noun
For security applications, the robot's advanced sensors enable it to patrol complex areas, detect emergencies, and assist in rescue operations.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Verb
-
Healthcare providers use it to guard sensitive patient data and meet strict compliance standards.—
Bhupendra Singh,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Chen finished with a career-high 10 points and drew the assignment of guarding Ariel Atkins, the Sky’s leading scorer in the fourth quarter.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Snag straw bags that are ideal for a beach day or brunch, straw hats to keep your face protected from the sun, and popular shoe styles like woven flats, simple black flip flops, and kitten heels.—
Rachel Trujillo,
People.com,
5 July 2025
-
From quick rinses to gentle drying, here's how to protect your swimwear for seasons to come.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Advertisement Advertisement Thousands of U.S. service members are stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command and an important American military outpost on the Persian Gulf.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
23 June 2025
-
The United States has, this year, rapidly increased its air defenses in the region and relies on the air defense capabilities of some partner countries, but smaller U.S. military outposts in Iraq and Syria remain particularly vulnerable.—
Dana Stroul,
Foreign Affairs,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
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
-
This is the second high-profile strike from IATSE in less than a week, following a picket in front of a Will Smith music video on May 23 in Los Angeles.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
The idea was that a group of military commandos would break quarantine and try to get to the place where the virus had originated, in order to find a cure.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
-
Visions of Israeli commandos training Malaitan farmers swarmed my imagination.—
Pete McKenzie,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
In early February, Olivier Giroud, the French striker who plays for Los Angeles FC, had his home targeted and $500,000 worth of jewelry and watches stolen, sources said.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
-
The limited series improved by about 11 percent over the 1.36 billion minutes of watch time for its premiere week.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
26 June 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 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share