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definitions

patrol

[puh-trohl]
verb (used without object), pa·trolled, pa·trol·ling.
  1. (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.
verb (used with object), pa·trolled, pa·trol·ling.
  1. to maintain the order and security of (a road, beat, area, etc.) by passing along or through it.
noun
  1. a person or group of persons assigned to patrol an area, road, etc.
  2. an automobile, ship, plane, squadron, fleet, etc., assigned to patrol an area.
  3. Military. a detachment of two or more persons, often a squad or platoon, detailed for reconnaissance or combat.
  4. the act of patrolling.
  5. patrol wagon.
  6. (in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) a subdivision of a troop, usually consisting of about eight members.

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
Related formspa·trol·ler, nounre·pa·trol, verb (used with object), re·pa·trolled, re·pa·trol·ling.un·pa·trolled, adjectivewell-pa·trolled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for patrolled

vigilance, garrison, safeguard, inspect, cruise, lookout, spy, watching, watch, protection, sentinel, scouting, policing, escorting, protecting, pound, police, mount, range, shotgun

Examples from the Web for patrolled

Contemporary Examples of patrolled

Historical Examples of patrolled

  • It is still dark, but the streets are patrolled and every gate is closed, and how are you to escape?

  • They cooked; they slept; they drilled and patrolled the beach.

    Janet of the Dunes

    Harriet T. Comstock

  • It gave Gordon something to think about while they patrolled the beat.

    Police Your Planet

    Lester del Rey

  • Back and forth she patrolled along the edges of the windfall.

    The Black Phantom

    Leo Edward Miller

  • But who was this fellow in the Bavarian hat, who patrolled the sidewalk?

British Dictionary definitions for patrolled

patrol

noun
  1. the action of going through or around a town, neighbourhood, etc, at regular intervals for purposes of security or observation
  2. a person or group that carries out such an action
  3. a military detachment with the mission of security, gathering information, or combat with enemy forces
  4. a division of a troop of Scouts or Guides
verb -trols, -trolling or -trolled
  1. to engage in a patrol of (a place)
Derived Formspatroller, noun

Word Origin for patrol

C17: from French patrouiller, from patouiller to flounder in mud, from patte paw
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
Word Origin and History for patrolled

patrol

n.

1660s, "action of going the rounds" (of a military camp, etc.), from French patrouille "a night watch" (1530s), from patrouiller "go the rounds to watch or guard," originally "tramp through the mud," probably soldiers' slang, from Old French patouiller "paddle in water," probably from pate "paw, foot" (see patten). Compare paddlefoot, World War II U.S. Army slang for "infantry soldier." Meaning "those who go on a patrol" is from 1660s. Sense of "detachment of soldiers sent out to scout the countryside, the enemy, etc." is attested from 1702.

patrol

v.

1690s, from patrol (n.) and in part from French patrouiller. Related: Patrolled; patrolling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper