as in guards
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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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patrols
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department not only patrols the unincorporated areas of the county, but also provides police service for the cities of Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills.
—Katie Nielsen, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Meet Cycling Mikey, the man who patrols London’s streets and reports people who are on their phones while driving.
—Bob Herman, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
The agency, which patrols unincorporated areas of the county, investigated 18 homicide deaths in 2025 after ending the previous year with 37 homicides — a 54% decrease.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Crossroads visitors may also be familiar with the company’s security robot, Lance, that patrols the area around the building.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026
The ship — homeported in Newport Harbor — typically patrols coastal waters from the Mexican border to the Channel Islands.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 3 Jan. 2026
Fletcher said his agency patrols six cities that contract with the county, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could eventually show up in one of them — like Arden Hills, Little Canada or Vadnais Heights.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 3 Dec. 2025
The agency patrols 6,000 miles of international border between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department not only patrols the unincorporated areas of the county, but also provides police service for the cities of Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills.
—Katie Nielsen, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
Meet Cycling Mikey, the man who patrols London’s streets and reports people who are on their phones while driving.
—Bob Herman, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
The agency, which patrols unincorporated areas of the county, investigated 18 homicide deaths in 2025 after ending the previous year with 37 homicides — a 54% decrease.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026
Crossroads visitors may also be familiar with the company’s security robot, Lance, that patrols the area around the building.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026
The ship — homeported in Newport Harbor — typically patrols coastal waters from the Mexican border to the Channel Islands.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 3 Jan. 2026
Fletcher said his agency patrols six cities that contract with the county, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could eventually show up in one of them — like Arden Hills, Little Canada or Vadnais Heights.
—Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 3 Dec. 2025
The agency patrols 6,000 miles of international border between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
—Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrols
Noun
-
Police had taped off several square blocks around Sixth Street, while local police and federal authorities, including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, were at the site, according to Austin police officers serving as sentries.—
Jack Myer,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Police had taped off several square blocks around Sixth Street, while local police and federal agents, including ATF agents were at the site, according to Austin police serving as sentries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Miami guards Gal Raviv and Amarachi Kimpson each scored 20.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
-
An Austin police officer guards the scene on West 6th Street at West Avenue after a shooting on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Austin, Texas.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If not, pickets at school sites and another rally will follow Friday.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Or are the neighbor's dogs enjoying the gap between two pickets?—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Speech — Intimidation as censorship The First Amendment protects disputable speech, not agreeable.—
Brielle Miller,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Competitive elections strengthen democracy, and state leaders should reexamine a system that protects party insiders and sidelines would-be challengers long before voters get their say.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Future outposts on the moon will need to be as self-sufficient as possible to avoid the high cost of constantly shuttling supplies from Earth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Fighting escalated sharply in December, when opposition forces captured a string of government outposts in north central Jonglei.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Additional police resources were deployed to the area from neighboring detachments, along with the North District Emergency Response Team.—
Alexandra Koch , Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The Israeli military has amassed two major groups of armored vehicles in Sheikh Radwan, to the north of Gaza City, according to the imagery, with additional detachments of armored vehicles stationed along roads that lead toward Israel.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The people in line behind me were annoyed, checking their watches and peering ahead trying to figure out what was taking so long.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Half a billion people are already using smart watches and other wearables, which generate continuous streams of heart-rate variability, blood oxygen, and sleep data.—
William Warr,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patrols.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patrols. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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