patrol
Americanverb (used without object)
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patrols,
present (3rd person singular)
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patrolled,
past participle, past
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patrolling
present participle
verb (used with object)
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patrols,
present (3rd person singular)
-
patrolled,
past participle, past
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patrolling
present participle
noun
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patrols
plural
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a person or group of persons assigned to patrol an area, road, etc.
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an automobile, ship, plane, squadron, fleet, etc., assigned to patrol an area.
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Military. a detachment of two or more persons, often a squad or platoon, detailed for reconnaissance or combat.
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the act of patrolling.
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(in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) a subdivision of a troop, usually consisting of about eight members.
noun
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the action of going through or around a town, neighbourhood, etc, at regular intervals for purposes of security or observation
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a person or group that carries out such an action
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a military detachment with the mission of security, gathering information, or combat with enemy forces
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a division of a troop of Scouts or Guides
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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patrolsimple
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patrolssimple
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have patrolledperfect
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has patrolledperfect
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am patrollingprogressive
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are patrollingprogressive
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is patrollingprogressive
-
have been patrollingperfect progressive
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has been patrollingperfect progressive
Past
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patrolledsimple
-
had patrolledperfect
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was patrollingprogressive
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were patrollingprogressive
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had been patrollingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of patrol
1655–65; < French patrouille (noun), patrouiller (v.) patrol, originally a pawing (noun), to paw (v.) in mud; derivative (with suffixal -ouille ) of patte paw; -r- unexplained
Explanation
When a person or a group monitors a specific area, that's a patrol. A police officer's night patrol might involve walking a beat on certain city streets. A patrol is the activity of watching a neighborhood or region, and also refers to the person or group doing the watching. And when you join such a group, you can say you patrol. Your neighborhood watch group might patrol the town in groups of three, driving up and down the streets keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. The French patrouille, "a night watch," comes from patrouiller, "go the rounds," and originally "tramp trough the mud."
Vocabulary lists containing patrol
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Many wear balaclavas as they patrol the city centre streets.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Five patrol boats have been sent to the area and several other private vessels are being made available for assistance, he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
China has bulked up its coast guard with the world’s longest coast guard patrol ships and the addition of converted naval vessels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Long Beach Police Department also installed the Rumbler into patrol vehicles in 2009, employing the system in most units until 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
“This small space that separates Lkossa from the jungle is called the borderlands. That would be the most direct path into it. It’s also part of the Sons of the Six’s patrol route.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Organizations working with Haitians in Springfield started stockpiling supplies and forming ICE patrols to prepare for a similar enforcement surge as in Minneapolis — but the surge never arrived.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
The neighborhood has just 34 residences, guarded by a private police force and 24/7 armed boat patrols.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
However, he has noticed an improvement with the rise in patrols.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Last week, the competitors went on separate patrols in the same city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
They talked a great deal about their different ideas of scouting and tracking, and made some patrols together, more for their own satisfaction than because there was any real need.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Western Germany is also close - but not too close - to the more heavily patrolled beaches of northern France from where migrant boats launch.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
I drove to my job at a middle school, where more legal observers patrolled outside.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The area last week was surrounded by surveillance cameras and patrolled by National Guardsmen as lifelong resident John Cates strolled the area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The few vehicles that moved were driven by armed, uniformed personnel who patrolled the city.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
In those days he patrolled with a black umbrella but eventually surrendered and now his white blouses were stark against his tanned flesh.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
And he has been patrolling the skies and the lawns since 2008, ruling the roost at the centuries old site.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Instead, these legendary predators may still be quietly patrolling the region's waters, largely unseen.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Officers were seen patrolling the cordon and shouted at several cyclists who at one point attempted to pass through a cycle lane within the cordon.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
“We have a ton of patrolling still going on.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Christina and I weave a complicated path through Erudite headquarters on our way to the back staircase, avoiding patrolling factionless.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
