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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patrol
Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
Officials at the patrol’s South Lake Tahoe office announced the fatality on Tuesday.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Tom Bowman, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
Volunteer fathers patrol hallways as part of Dads on Duty.
—Jackie Valley, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Noun
The person who was killed hit the patrol vehicle from behind and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
Officials at the patrol’s South Lake Tahoe office announced the fatality on Tuesday.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
Caine is a career fighter jet pilot who patrolled the skies above Washington, D.C., immediately after the 9/11 attacks, served in the Middle East during the fight against the Islamic State and then worked at the CIA.
—Tom Bowman, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025
Volunteer fathers patrol hallways as part of Dads on Duty.
—Jackie Valley, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Noun
-
The snout of a curious whale and the muzzle of a four-legged sentry came oh-so close.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
7 Apr. 2025
-
In the early hours of April 21, 1775, gale-force winds whipped across the town square, driving the shivering sentries from their posts to the shelter of their beds.—
Andrew Lawler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Specifically, the Swiss Guard accompanies the pope to public appearances, guards Vatican City and protects the College of Cardinals during a conclave (the election of a new pope), according to The Holy See.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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He was trained throughout his time as a junior officer to protect and guard the nation’s secrets.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Few, however, deliver on that promise quite as literally as the new Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, the brand's second outpost in the Chinese capital.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2025
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But the inclusion of these uninhabited volcanic outposts raised eyebrows.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Open for just 24 hours, starting April 24, the project is meant to humanize the harms of social media use among young children and call for governments and private companies to act urgently to protect online spaces for young users.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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During his speech Wednesday evening, Walz pledged to protect Minnesotans from the impacts of Trump’s policies.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Several picket signs were decorated with messaging against Musk and President Donald Trump.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2025
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Tuesday’s demonstration served as a precursor to an informational picket scheduled for Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. outside the California Department of Human Resources.—
William Melhado,
Sacramento Bee,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But the 2019 clash, and an earlier 2016 raid by Indian commandos across the Line of Control after a militant attack on one of their Jammu and Kashmir headquarters, demonstrated that retaliatory strikes need not escalate to nuclear exchange.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando (1987) is about a strangely hilarious killing machine who dispatches dozens of less talented commandos to hell to rescue his daughter, played by sitcom star Alyssa Milano.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That’s how Tommy bids farewell to his brother before (presumably) removing the broken watch from Joel's wrist to leave for Ellie.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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The commemorative coins, which include gold and silver busts of Trump, emerged during the 2024 presidential campaign as one of several merchandising ventures Trump profited from -- a list that also included watches, sneakers, bibles and guitars.—
Lucien Bruggeman,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 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 2 May. 2025.
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