patrol
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to go around an area or building at regular times to check that it is safe.
v.to traverse a specific district or perimeter for the purpose of observation and security maintenance.
Simple“Security guards patrol the shopping mall every hour during the night.”
In context“Military units continued to patrol the border zone to prevent illegal crossings and monitor any suspicious activity in the region.”
UsageCan be used with or without a direct object.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of checking an area, or the group of people doing the checking.
n.the action of going through an area to monitor it; also refers to the specific detachment or unit assigned to this duty.
Simple“The police officer is currently out on patrol in the city centre.”
In context“The dawn patrol reported no signs of forced entry, though they noted several broken streetlights along the northern perimeter.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a small group of people within a larger club, like the Scouts.
n.a small unit within a troop of Scouts, typically consisting of six to eight members.
Simple“Our scout patrol won the competition for building the best campfire.”
In context“Each patrol within the troop was responsible for its own equipment and meal planning during the week-long summer expedition.”
Usage patrol boats
From French patrouille, from Old French patrouille, patouille (“a night-watch”, literally “a tramping about”), from patrouiller, patouiller, patoiller (“to paddle or pudder in water, dabble with the feet, begrime, besmear”), from patte, pate (“paw, foot of an animal”), from Vulgar Latin patta (“paw, foot”), from Frankish patta (“paw, sole of the foot”), from Proto-Germanic paþjaną, paþōną (“to walk, tread, go, step, pace”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European (s)pent-, (s)pat- (“path; to walk”), a variant of Proto-Indo-European pent-, pat- (“path; to go”); see find. Cognate with Dutch pad, patte (“paw”), Low German pedden (“to step, tread”), German patschen (“to splash, smack, dabble, waddle”), German Patsche (“a swatter, beater, paw, puddle, mire”). Related to pad, path.
From French patrouiller, from Old French patrouiller (“to paddle, paw about, patrol”), from patte (“a paw”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.