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
patrolled; patrolling
: to carry out a patrol
: 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
Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Officer Austin Turner has been a Marietta patrol officer for close to four years.
—Katja Ridderbusch, NPR, 26 May 2025
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Osborn had been critical of how outside law enforcement patrolled the bus and rail system and pushed for more in-house security.
—Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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Noun
Police officials have acknowledged in the past that patrol officers across the city are routinely tied down on high-priority calls for service.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Officer Austin Turner has been a Marietta patrol officer for close to four years.
—Katja Ridderbusch, NPR, 26 May 2025
Verb
Homicide data from the Illinois State Police, which patrols the city’s expressways, also is not included here.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025
Osborn had been critical of how outside law enforcement patrolled the bus and rail system and pushed for more in-house security.
—Colleen Shalby, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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