shore patrol

American

noun

(often initial capital letters) members of an organization in the U.S. Navy having police duties similar to those performed by military police. SP

shore patrol British

noun

a naval unit serving the same function as the military police

"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

Etymology

Origin of shore patrol

First recorded in 1940–45

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:

shore patrol

A shore patrol was instituted to catch anyone attempting to engage in trade.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

In San Francisco, a streetcar crashed with complete abandon into a Navy shore patrol wagon, drew cheers from watching sailors.

From Time Magazine Archive

She is all but ready to go when she learns that the shore patrol is downstairs and realizes that Gilpin has bragged about this escapade to everyone he knows.

From Time Magazine Archive

Picked up by a shore patrol and shipped home, David has never seen Minnie again.

From Time Magazine Archive

He had stayed past the legal hour on liberty the last time in, and the shore patrol had come along and scooped him up.

From The U-boat hunters by Connolly, James B. (James Brendan)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023