patrol
(of a police officer, soldier, etc.) to pass along a road, beat, etc., or around or through a specified area in order to maintain order and security.
to maintain the order and security of (a road, beat, area, etc.) by passing along or through it.
a person or group of persons assigned to patrol an area, road, etc.
an automobile, ship, plane, squadron, fleet, etc., assigned to patrol an area.
Military. a detachment of two or more persons, often a squad or platoon, detailed for reconnaissance or combat.
the act of patrolling.
(in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) a subdivision of a troop, usually consisting of about eight members.
Origin of patrol
1Other words from patrol
- pa·trol·ler, noun
- re·pa·trol, verb (used with object), re·pa·trolled, re·pa·trol·ling.
- un·pa·trolled, adjective
- well-pa·trolled, adjective
Words Nearby patrol
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use patrol in a sentence
Brooks recounts with vivid detail her experiences in the police academy and as an officer on patrol.
A Georgetown professor trades her classroom for a police beat | Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. | February 12, 2021 | Washington PostHigh-paying “extra duty” jobs — like sitting in a patrol car monitoring traffic at a road construction site — are also protected by the contracts.
How the Police Bank Millions Through Their Union Contracts | by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press, and Agnes Chang, Jeff Kao and Agnel Philip, ProPublica | February 8, 2021 | ProPublicaAnderson says the 9-year-old started screaming, “I want my dad,” and resisted the officers’ efforts to get her into the patrol car.
Rochester Police Suspended After Handcuffing and Pepper Spraying 9-Year-Old Girl | Shani Parrish | February 2, 2021 | Essence.comTwo days later, Emery ordered the agency to study the issue of chokeholds in a bid to understand why they were the focus of so many complaints against police officers despite the patrol guide’s ban.
Still Can’t Breathe | by Topher Sanders, ProPublica, and Yoav Gonen, THE CITY, video by Lucas Waldron, ProPublica | January 21, 2021 | ProPublicaTo date, none of the patrol unions have ever gone on strike.
Why Ski Patrollers Are Picketing at Two Vail Resorts | Scott Yorko | January 20, 2021 | Outside Online
Then they came up against a police patrol on mountain bicycles, which again led to more shooting, without injuries.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects | Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“They just walk around, they ride in their patrol cars, and they just pass by,” he said.
With the midterm elections safely in the rearview mirror, Obama is on legacy patrol.
Brinsley stepped up to the passenger side of the patrol car, raised a silver Taurus semi-automatic pistol and began firing.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops | Michael Daly | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHundreds of cops saluting as the bodies were rolled out with a full escort by highway patrol.
"Hon'lable p'lice patrol come 'long plenty soon," murmured Sin Sin Wa.
Dope | Sax RohmerThey mewed like cats at the approach of the patrol, and crowed like cocks when a likely victim approached.
He was not of the Allied patrol nor of any branch of the police force that encircled the world in its operations.
Astounding Stories, May, 1931 | VariousNor did the voluble and sulphurous orders to halt that a patrol-ship flashed north.
Astounding Stories, May, 1931 | VariousThe patrol-ship was on station; she was lost far astern before she could gather speed for pursuit.
Astounding Stories, May, 1931 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for patrol
/ (pəˈtrəʊl) /
the action of going through or around a town, neighbourhood, etc, at regular intervals for purposes of security or observation
a person or group that carries out such an action
a military detachment with the mission of security, gathering information, or combat with enemy forces
a division of a troop of Scouts or Guides
to engage in a patrol of (a place)
Origin of patrol
1Derived forms of patrol
- patroller, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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