patrol car

noun

: a police automobile connected with headquarters by a two-way radio or computer : squad car
Placing an unarmed, compliant juvenile in the back of a patrol car transformed an investigatory stop into an arrest, the 9th Circuit held Aug. 24.The National Law Journal

Examples of patrol car in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Releasing Boss from the patrol car, Broyles and the dog pursued him on foot. Scott Huver, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025 The patrol car, but not Batzorig, was struck by gunfire. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025 Its citizens have voiced their distrust of the police department over the years on a number of fronts, noting that officers — many of them white and Hispanic — seldom leave their patrol cars except to make an arrest. Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025 Hundreds of car accidents were reported in Virginia, Indiana, Kansas and Kentucky, where a state trooper was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after his patrol car was hit. Hannah Fingerhut and Ben Finley, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for patrol car

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of patrol car was in 1926

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Cite this Entry

“Patrol car.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol%20car. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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