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.
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Recent Examples of patrol
Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Under the agreement, crafted in response to a dramatic July street brawl and other recent violence, the state patrol and Cincinnati Police Department will conduct joint crime enforcement operations through the rest of 2025.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Echo Apsey, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Crews patrol and mop up direct fire lines while constructing additional primary and secondary containment.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Verb
Unfortunately for Slightly, Hermit’s squadron needs him on patrol.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Under the agreement, crafted in response to a dramatic July street brawl and other recent violence, the state patrol and Cincinnati Police Department will conduct joint crime enforcement operations through the rest of 2025.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Carter has to hide behind pieces of waist-high cover and move around Simms, who patrols the corridors of the ship, to try and make it to his destination.
—Echo Apsey, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Crews patrol and mop up direct fire lines while constructing additional primary and secondary containment.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Verb
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The result is an erosion of individual agency and a system that guards access rather than broadens it.—
Anmol Verma,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
This conversation should always be open, hones, and not guarded or ashamed.—
Taylor Lane,
Flow Space,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Aside from scouting, sending messages or sentry duty, some dogs were trained for direct combat.—
Vic Verbalaitis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Rows of lights stood like sentries above, adorned with flat visors that guided the glow onto the action.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Twin Cities,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
With his back against the wall, Tony must draw on his tactical training to protect his family and survive a deadly showdown with a powerful crime syndicate.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Some Cosmists saw technology as destructive and transformative, while others believed its role should be to protect and preserve.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Last month, a photograph captured by the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellites showed what is now a fully functional military outpost.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Likewise, the parks have long offered premium dining packages with special seating for nighttime entertainment but one Disney outpost recently took that model one step further.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Curse words flew out of her mouth like closed fists, but no one could hear her because the picket is sound-proof.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
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She was joined by dancers and famous drag queens, like Denali and Lexi Love, some of whom held up picket signs supporting trans rights.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a plot that echoes that of their last film, The Beekeeper, Statham stars as an ex-commando who’s since turned a new leaf as a construction worker.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
1 Sep. 2025
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In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, the flagship of a flotilla crewed by a 600-strong alliance of pro-Palestinian activists, aid workers, politicians, and doctors.—
Dan Sheehan,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Under his watch, the once-traditional fast-food chain had launched updatable menu screens in all restaurants and a sophisticated mobile app.—
Elie Ofek,
Harvard Business Review,
14 Sep. 2025
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Ham-And-Cheese Sliders Grandma's stash of Hawaiian rolls is the secret to the perfect sliders, especially for a Sunday football watch party.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 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 16 Sep. 2025.
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