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
Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Each extra patrol to that address was recorded in those 575 entries.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
In the months since, community members say that troops have stood outside the bar or patrolled the surrounding Capitol Hill neighborhood nearly every day.
—Colleen Hamilton, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
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Noun
Sliwa, the colorful founder of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, has steadfastly refused calls to drop out from both Cuomo and his supporters.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Each extra patrol to that address was recorded in those 575 entries.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
If the emergency vehicle behind you has solid blue and red lights shining, the officer inside is patrolling the area and just wants to be visible.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
In the months since, community members say that troops have stood outside the bar or patrolled the surrounding Capitol Hill neighborhood nearly every day.
—Colleen Hamilton, Them., 30 Oct. 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 1 Nov. 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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