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
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 22 June 2024
Shooting still under investigation, Sheriff’s Office says Shortly before 9 p.m. April 20, Bolter, who worked the night patrol shift, pulled over Mulqueen’s vehicle near Overland Road and South Raymond Street on the Boise Bench.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 18 June 2024
Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024
Housing authority security guards now patrol the complex, which is under the management of new staff.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for patrol 
Noun
An officer on patrol near Ocean and Dawson avenues spotted an SUV parked on the beach around 2:30 a.m., the West Haven Police Department wrote on Facebook.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 22 June 2024
Shooting still under investigation, Sheriff’s Office says Shortly before 9 p.m. April 20, Bolter, who worked the night patrol shift, pulled over Mulqueen’s vehicle near Overland Road and South Raymond Street on the Boise Bench.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 18 June 2024
Verb
Frustrated by their lack of control and skyrocketing cost of paying for three police agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority took the first step to create its own transit police to patrol a sprawling system in which riders have grown weary of crime.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024
Housing authority security guards now patrol the complex, which is under the management of new staff.
—Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for patrol
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patrol.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near patrol
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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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