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patrol

Syllabification: (pa·trol)
Pronunciation: /pəˈtrōl/

Translate patrol | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of patrol

noun

  • a person or group of people sent to keep watch over an area, especially a detachment of guards or police:a police patrol stopped the man and searched him
  • the action of keeping watch over an area by walking or driving around it at regular intervals:the policemen were on patrol when they were ordered to investigate the incident
  • an expedition to carry out reconnaissance:we were ordered to investigate on a night patrol
  • a routine operational voyage of a ship or aircraft:a submarine patrol
  • a unit of six to eight Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts forming part of a troop.

verb (patrols, patrolling, patrolled)

[with object]
  • keep watch over (an area) by regularly walking or traveling around or through it:the garrison had to patrol the streets to maintain order [no object]:pairs of men were patrolling on each side of the thoroughfare

Derivatives

patroller

noun

Origin:

mid 17th century (as a noun): from German Patrolle, from French patrouille, from patrouiller 'paddle in mud', from patte 'paw' + dialect (gad)rouille 'dirty water'

Spelling rule

If a verb ends with a single vowel plus a consonant, and the stress is at the end of the word (as in refer), double the last letter when adding -ing or -ed: (patrols, patrolling, patrolled).

patrol in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of patrol in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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