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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of patrol
Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2025
Tap the camera icon in the app to view a live stream and remotely control the robot or send it on patrol.
—PCMAG, 28 Feb. 2025
Edward Fishman, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
The handover took place in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where large crowds gathered and armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms patrolled the area.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Noun
Officers on patrol heard three to four shots fired about 4:55 p.m. on Nov. 5.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2025
Tap the camera icon in the app to view a live stream and remotely control the robot or send it on patrol.
—PCMAG, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
As recently as the 1990s, the United Nations embargo on Iraq relied on warships patrolling the Persian Gulf.
—Edward Fishman, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2025
The handover took place in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where large crowds gathered and armed Hamas militants in black and camouflage uniforms patrolled the area.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Noun
-
Intimidating sentries patrol the streets; snipers are merciless death machines.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
14 Nov. 2014
-
Sitting in front of him was the angry sentry known as Devlin’s Billabong, named when Bruce Devlin needed six shots to get out of the pond in the final round of the 1975 Andy Williams Open.—
Bryce Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
At one point in the game, Knicks guard Miles McBride knocked the basketball toward Hudson's face.—
Russel Honoré,
Newsweek,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Keegan Murray opened guarding Jokic while Jonas Valanciunas was on Westbrook.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacramento Bee,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But after a year of big shake-ups at the major labels, as well as the breakthrough drought, the U.K.’s perennial fear of being reduced to just another European outpost of the U.S. industry has sometimes looked closer to reality than ever.—
Mark Sutherland,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
-
In August 2021, intel on Hamas’ military wing described the plan for a large-scale attack on Israeli communities and military outposts surrounding the Gaza Strip.—
Rachel Wolf,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.—
Chris Malone Mendez,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Iran’s nuclear facilities are now exposed to attack, after Israel destroyed almost all of the air defenses protecting them in October.—
David E. Sanger,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Listen to this article Thousands of UC San Diego workers in health care and beyond plan to strike for better wages and benefits Wednesday, participating in overlapping statewide pickets at University of California campuses statewide.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Send any news, comments, Boeing picket sign long-term maintenance tips, and fiduciary walking papers to [email protected].—
Melvin Backman,
Quartz,
25 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Consider the 1976 Entebbe operation, the raid in Uganda by Israeli commandos—and the raid in which the prime minister’s elder brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed: the operation succeeded in rescuing 102 of the 106 hostages held by Palestinian militants.—
Amos Harel,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Jan. 2025
-
Nearly a year before Israel said its troops crossed into Lebanon yesterday, small teams of Israeli commandos began operations targeting Hezbollah tunnels, weapons depots and other sites, the official said.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
2 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
They were asked to take off their smart watches and to take a pledge of integrity.—
Clara-Sophia Daly,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Having said this, given some of the allegations against Wallace are alleged to have happened on her watch, this could count against her.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share