patrol

American  

[puh-trohl] / pəˈtroʊl /

verb (used without object)

patrolled, patrolling

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.

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verb (used with object)

patrolled, patrolling

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.

patrol British  

/ pəˈtrəʊl /

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

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verb

1. to engage in a patrol of (a place)

Other Word Forms

• patroller
  noun
• repatrol
  verb (used with object)
• unpatrolled
  adjective
• well-patrolled
  adjective

Etymology

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

Explanation

When a person or a group monitors a specific area, that's a patrol. A police officer's night patrol might involve walking a beat on certain city streets. A patrol is the activity of watching a neighborhood or region, and also refers to the person or group doing the watching. And when you join such a group, you can say you patrol. Your neighborhood watch group might patrol the town in groups of three, driving up and down the streets keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. The French patrouille, "a night watch," comes from patrouiller, "go the rounds," and originally "tramp trough the mud."

Example Sentences

The case stems from a 1990s $2 billion arms deal to purchase fighter jets, patrol boats and other military equipment from five European defence companies.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned ‌the most recent Kuwaiti arrest, saying the four Iranians were on a routine maritime patrol when they entered Kuwaiti territorial waters due ‌to “disruption ⁠in their navigation.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

He created an elite US-trained police unit with expanded investigative and operational powers who patrol with military-grade weapons -- a model he would later recreate at the federal level.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

Officers from Operation View visit those businesses as they patrol on foot and in police vans, into the evening.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Two motor patrol boats, tied and locked securely, bobbed in the water as Baba’s nauka bumped into the dock.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• cruise
• inspect
• safeguard