Dictionary Definition
patrol
Noun
1 a detachment used for security or
reconnaissance
2 the activity of going around or through an area
at regular intervals for security purposes
3 a group that goes through a region at regular
intervals for the purpose of security v : maintain the security of
by carrying out a control [syn: police] [also: patrolling, patrolled]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
- patrouiller, patrouiller to paddle, paw about, patrol, from patte a paw.
- patrouille, patouille.
Noun
patrol (plural: patrols)- A going of the rounds along the chain of sentinels and between the posts, by a guard, usually consisting of three or four men, to insure greater security from attacks on the outposts.
- A movement, by a small body of troops beyond the line of outposts, to explore the country and gain intelligence of the enemy's whereabouts.
- The guard or men who go the rounds for observation; a detachment whose duty it is to patrol.
- Any perambulation of a particular line or district to guard it;
also, the men thus guarding; as, a customs patrol; a fire patrol.
- In France there is an army of patrols to secure her fiscal regulations. -A. Hamilton.
Translations
- Dutch: patrouille
- French: patrouille
- German: Patrouille
- Hebrew:
- Spanish: patrulla
- Swedish: patrull
Verb
- To go the rounds along a chain of sentinels; to traverse a police district or beat.
- To go the rounds of, as a sentry, guard, or policeman; as, to patrol a frontier; to patrol a beat.
Translations
to patrol
- Italian: pattugliare
- Spanish: patrullar
Extensive Definition
In military
tactics, a patrol is a small tactical grouping sent out by
land, sea or air to perform a specific task. A patrol may be a
reconnaissance
patrol, sent to investigate some feature of interest, or a fighting
patrol (US combat patrol), sent to find and engage the enemy.
A patrol is also a small cavalry or armoured unit,
subordinate to a troop or
platoon. A patrol
usually comprises a section
or squad of mounted
troopers, or two
AFVs (often tanks).
In law enforcement, patrol officers are uniformed
police officers assigned to patrol specified geographic areas. They
are the officers most commonly encountered by the public, as their
duties include responding to calls for service, making arrests,
resolving disputes, taking crime reports, and conducting traffic
enforcement, and other crime prevention measures. The patrol
officer is the first on the scene to arrive. What they do or fail
to do at the scene greatly influences the outcome of an
investigation. The patrol officer, as the person daily in the
field, is closest to potential crime and has probably developed
contacts who can provide information.
Some elementary
schools use the term patrol to refer to students who are
selected to monitor safety in the classroom or to those students
who assist crossing
guards with safety of children crossing busy streets. Another common term for
this use of patrol is hall
monitor.
In Surf
Lifesaving, volunteer patrol units monitor the beaches during
the summer. In Australia and some other countries, the patrolled
area is marked by red and yellow flags.
In Scouting, a patrol
is six to eight children under the leadership of one of them, the
basic unit of the Scout movement. The Patrol
method is an essential characteristic of Scouting by which it
differs from all other organizations, using the natural dynamics of
the gang for an educational purpose.
Etymology
The word "patrol" came from French patrouiller = "to patrol"; earlier it meant "to paddle in the mud", perhaps via men repeatedly patrolling along the same unpaved path until it turned to mud.patrol in German: Streifendienst
patrol in Italian: Pattuglia
patrol in Polish: Zastęp
patrol in Swedish: patrull
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Argus,
Charley, airplane
spotter, beat, course, cover, defend, defending, do, fire patrolman, fire warden,
fireguard, forward
observer, go over, guard,
guarding, keep guard,
keep vigil, keep watch, lookout, lookout man, measure, mount guard, night
watchman, overpass,
pass over, pass through, patroller, patrolman, perambulate, peregrinate, pererrate, picket, ply, police, protect, protecting, protection, range, range over, reconnoiter, rounds, roundsman, safeguarding, scour, scour the country, scout, sentinel, sentry, spotter, stand guard, stand
sentinel, sweep, track, transit, travel over, travel
through, traverse,
vedette, vigilance, voyage, watch, watch over, watcher, watchfulness, watchkeeper, watchman