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
Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
However, that claim could not be verified, with the judge ruling that the animal patrol officer did not adequately look to see if food and water were provided and if the horses were properly fenced on the property while performing a welfare check on May 7, according to court records.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2025
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Once seized by the state, troopers from Texas and Florida patrolled the premises and didn’t let anyone in without permission, including U.S. Border Patrol agents, according to the Biden administration.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
By the end of 2017, body cameras — a tool for both accountability and investigation — were in use for all Chicago Police Department patrol officers, which allows jurors and courtroom observers to watch, to some extent, a police shooting unfold.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
However, that claim could not be verified, with the judge ruling that the animal patrol officer did not adequately look to see if food and water were provided and if the horses were properly fenced on the property while performing a welfare check on May 7, according to court records.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2025
Verb
In the nineteen-eighties, a man with long hair, a black leather jacket, and a huge chain of keys patrolled my Upper West Side block, moving cars during alternate-side-parking periods.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Once seized by the state, troopers from Texas and Florida patrolled the premises and didn’t let anyone in without permission, including U.S. Border Patrol agents, according to the Biden administration.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 28 June 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 18 Jul. 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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