patrol
[puh-trohl]
- (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.
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- to maintain the order and security of (a road, beat, area, etc.) by passing along or through it.
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- 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.
- patrol wagon.
- (in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) a subdivision of a troop, usually consisting of about eight members.
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
vigilancegarrisonsafeguardinspectcruiselookoutspywatchingwatchprotectionsentinelscoutingpolicingescortingprotectingpoundpolicemountrangeshotgunExamples from the Web for patrolled
Contemporary Examples
Both borders are patrolled by UN peacekeepers, missions that all parties disparage as weak and biased.
Men and youths wearing surgical masks or balaclavas guarded the building and patrolled its immediate vicinity.
He patrolled on foot, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) filled the donkey paths that crisscrossed the wadis and hills.
They patrolled the station to protect military personnel, equipment and facilities.
Col. Harry Tunnell commanded a brigade that included the 1–17 battalion, which patrolled Arghandab in central Kandahar province.
Historical Examples
It is still dark, but the streets are patrolled and every gate is closed, and how are you to escape?
The Eternal CityHall Caine
They cooked; they slept; they drilled and patrolled the beach.
Janet of the DunesHarriet T. Comstock
It gave Gordon something to think about while they patrolled the beat.
Police Your PlanetLester del Rey
Back and forth she patrolled along the edges of the windfall.
The Black PhantomLeo Edward Miller
But who was this fellow in the Bavarian hat, who patrolled the sidewalk?
The Place of HoneymoonsHarold MacGrath
patrol
- 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
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- to engage in a patrol of (a place)
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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patrol
v.
1690s, from patrol (n.) and in part from French patrouiller. Related: Patrolled; patrolling.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper