patrol 1 of 2

noun

Definition of patrolnext
as in sentry

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patrol

2 of 2

verb

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.

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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
Noun
That’s what a member of a neighborhood patrol in Buenos Aires told the newspaper El País, describing the rationale for monitoring police operations against street vendors and immigrants. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Oct. 2026 At the time, officials said the shipwreck had been discovered off the coast of Apulia during a routine maritime patrol in June 2025. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
Armed officers patrolled the area while roadblocks and heavy equipment were positioned near the base. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026 Videos showed helicopters and military armored vehicles patrolling the base. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for patrol
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patrol
  1. sentry
  2. guard
  3. outpost
  4. protect
  5. picket
  6. commando
  7. watch
  8. rear guard
Noun
  • And Ric Salinas, who plays Chachalacani, humorously obliges, bringing his Culture Clash vaudeville skills to the role of the sentry who’s caught between the rock of Klion’s tyranny and his fellow feeling for Antíkona’s sympathetic cause.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, Hongqi said the solar roof could help supply lower-voltage electrical loads, including air conditioning, refrigerators and the vehicle’s sentry or monitoring systems.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sentry
Verb
  • The only two Heat players unavailable for Saturday’s exhibition were forward Keshad Johnson (right hamstring strain) and guard Dru Smith (right calf strain).
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The terms have been kept closely guarded, in large part because competitors would insist on comparable deals.
    — Rachel Felder, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • The rooftop bar looks over Hyde Park, lending a welcome (and rather rare) sense of openness in central London, while ABC Kitchen—the London outpost of the New York restaurant famed for its crab toast—brings in a high-flying food crowd.
    — Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The gallery effectively shut down the Bushwick outpost in 2021, selling the building to Rashid Johnson for $8 million—a profit of $6 million—in 2024.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of outpost
Verb
  • But data, though personal and medical in nature, is not covered by HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects personal electronic health data in other contexts.
    — Sparkle Rainey Tribune News Service, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • These women pressured local judges and sheriffs, and would actively show up to courthouses, protecting potential lynching victims with thier own bodies.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of protect
Noun
  • Students sitting with arms linked at the elbows could only see in shards through a picket of shin guards, restricting their view of the area where classmates and roommates were dragged one by one and zip-tied face down on the spring grass.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • For wooden privacy fencing, the community’s guidelines specify a shadow-box style with dog-ear pickets and require the fence to have the same appearance from both sides.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of picket
Noun
  • Operation Sparrow called on Duke to lead a crack three-man commando team on a night parachute jump behind enemy lines.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Night Country‘s Kali Reis as a traditional Resident Evil commando type, there goes I, Tonya‘s Paul Walter Hauser as a whiny, weaselly corporate executive — and others who simply start sprouting tentacles out of their faces.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of commando
Noun
  • Parts of the panhandle are now under a hurricane watch or tropical storm watch, and up to 5 feet of storm surge is expected to lash the coast.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Separate Fortune reporting found young shoppers flaunting luxury watches on TikTok and Instagram.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of watch
Noun
  • Optional extras include alarm/geolocation, a retractable rear guard rail, a canopy, and custom setups for family or cargo.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2026
  • Any suggestions that Lionel Messi’s presence at the 2026 World Cup might be diminished crumbled on Tuesday night with Algeria’s rear guard.
    — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 17 June 2026
Definition of rear guard

Browse Nearby Words

patriots
patrol
patrolled
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Cite this Entry

“Patrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patrol. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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