pat-down

or pat down

[ pat-doun ]

noun

1. an act or instance of passing the hands over the body of a clothed person to detect concealed weapons, drugs, etc.; frisking.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pat-down¹

Noun use of verb phrase pat down

Example Sentences

During each, the men lined up in pairs with their hands clasped behind their backs, submitted to a brief pat-down, and trudged with their heads down into basement shelters until the all-clear.

From Seattle Times

Anoush Morel, the director of Her Game Too France, told L’Equipe and RMC Sport that her breasts, buttocks and groin were touched by a female security officer during a pat-down at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night.

From Seattle Times

While metal-detecting wands were used on some people, others simply faced a pat-down, while Gordon's bag was not searched at all, the trial heard.

From BBC

The goal of the service is to let travelers fix the security issues that would ordinarily require a pat-down or secondary screening by TSA officers.

From Los Angeles Times

During the security pat-down, a staff member saw the sock and accused me of tampering with the device and attempting to remove it.

From Slate

Related Words

• audit
• check
• check out
• consider
• criticize
• delve into
• explore
• inspect
• investigate
• ponder
• pore over
• probe
• read
• research
• review
• scan
• screen
• scrutinize
• study
• survey