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
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2024
In 2019, a 30-year-old woman suffered minor or moderate injuries after being hit by a Los Angeles Police Department patrol cruiser on Venice Beach, CBS Los Angeles reported.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 29 May 2024
Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2024
How about the Keys? Just like the rest of the state, the waters off the Keys are mainly patrolled by the FWC, but the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office also has marine patrol deputies, who will be out in force over the holiday weekend, sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for patrol 
Noun
In total, the sub made six war patrols in a little over a year.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2024
In 2019, a 30-year-old woman suffered minor or moderate injuries after being hit by a Los Angeles Police Department patrol cruiser on Venice Beach, CBS Los Angeles reported.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 29 May 2024
Verb
The first federal Border Patrol, formed in 1924 through new funding for the Department of Labor, focused on patrolling U.S. borders in search of migrants.
—Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 May 2024
How about the Keys? Just like the rest of the state, the waters off the Keys are mainly patrolled by the FWC, but the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office also has marine patrol deputies, who will be out in force over the holiday weekend, sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 24 May 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 Jun. 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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