as in to guard
to walk or go around or through (an area, building, etc.) especially in order to make sure that it is safe
The squad had orders to patrol the area. The border is patrolled by the army.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of patrol
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
Word of the decision comes as Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes is facing union criticism for replacing officers’ shields with a new design that mimics those worn by NYPD patrol officers.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2025
Typically, the Coast Guard patrols the waters to ensure no one is getting too close.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Noun
Riley was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving a death in the late-night crash on Interstate 75 in Tampa, highway patrol said in a news release.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
Word of the decision comes as Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes is facing union criticism for replacing officers’ shields with a new design that mimics those worn by NYPD patrol officers.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
Below the elevated walkway where visitors watch, a jaguar patrols the edge of a fence.
—Sarah Matusek, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2025
Typically, the Coast Guard patrols the waters to ensure no one is getting too close.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
Noun
-
The snout of a curious whale and the muzzle of a four-legged sentry came oh-so close.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
7 Apr. 2025
-
In the early hours of April 21, 1775, gale-force winds whipped across the town square, driving the shivering sentries from their posts to the shelter of their beds.—
Andrew Lawler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The 23-year-old has guarded big men aplenty all season.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Another would be Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Few, however, deliver on that promise quite as literally as the new Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, Beijing, the brand's second outpost in the Chinese capital.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2025
-
But the inclusion of these uninhabited volcanic outposts raised eyebrows.—
Arick Wierson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday night approved a bill that its supporters maintain would protect Arkansans from religious discrimination and its opponents counter targets LGBTQ+ people.—
Josh Snyder,
Arkansas Online,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.—
Larry Fleisher,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Several picket signs were decorated with messaging against Musk and President Donald Trump.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Tuesday’s demonstration served as a precursor to an informational picket scheduled for Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. outside the California Department of Human Resources.—
William Melhado,
Sacramento Bee,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando (1987) is about a strangely hilarious killing machine who dispatches dozens of less talented commandos to hell to rescue his daughter, played by sitcom star Alyssa Milano.—
John DeVore,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2025
-
In January, Yale Hillel hosted a talk by Naftali Bennett, a former Israeli army commando, defense minister and prime minister, who was once considered a protégé of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s current prime minister.—
Anemona Hartocollis,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Many of them have been living and working in South Florida after being sponsored by relatives to come to the United States to apply for asylum or other protections instead of trying to get in through the U.S.-Mexico border, where a migrant crisis erupted during the Biden administration’s watch.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Under his watch, the homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023, to 38.76 per 100,000 people in 2024.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The north was expected to be America’s rear guard, a place where values like democracy and women’s rights might have taken hold.—
Azam Ahmed,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
-
And assassins from a coalition of all the local indigenous tribes — out for blood over the murder of Jimmy the Creek, one of their own, last episode — slit the throats of Ming’s rear guard.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patrol. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share