patrol

1 of 2

noun

pa·​trol pə-ˈtrōl 

1

a

: the action of traversing a district or beat or of going the rounds along a chain of guards for observation or the maintenance of security

b

: the person performing such an action

c

: a unit of persons or vehicles employed for reconnaissance, security, or combat

2

: a subdivision of a Boy Scout troop or Girl Scout troop

patrol

2 of 2

verb

patrolled; patrolling

intransitive verb

: to carry out a patrol

transitive verb

: to carry out a patrol of

patroller noun

Examples of patrol in a Sentence

Noun

The guard makes a patrol of the building every hour.

Soldiers are on patrol along the border.

Army patrols combed the area.

Verb

The squad had orders to patrol the area.

The border is patrolled by the army.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Essex patrol officers originally stopped Johnson for speeding, then discovered her West Virginia tags were fake and her car was unregistered. —Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2024

Brown worked as a patrol officer and as a tactical operations officer. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2024

Verb

Listen to this article A former NYPD narcotics detective resigned from the force Tuesday after pleading guilty to stealing bottles of champagne worth thousands of dollars at the Electric Zoo festival in 2022 when he was supposed to be patrolling for drugs. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2024

In the summer, the Sea Island naturalists patrol the five-mile beach every morning at sunrise for sea turtle nests and hatchlings. —Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

French patrouiller, from Middle French, to tramp around in the mud, from patte paw — more at patten

First Known Use

Noun

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1648, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing patrol

• foot patrol
• patrol car
• patrol wagon
• shore patrol
• ski patrol

Kids Definition

patrol

1 of 2 noun

pa·​trol pə-ˈtrōl 

1

a

: the action of going the rounds of an area for observation or guard

b

: the person or group doing the patrolling

2

: a part of a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop

patrol

2 of 2 verb

patrolled; patrolling

: to carry out a patrol or a patrol of

patroller noun