noun / verb
patrol
puh-TROHL/pʌtrˈoʊl/
Moving through an area to guard or inspect it.
The guard patrols the perimeter fence, checking the gate with a flashlight.
Etymology
Patrouiller originally meant tramping through mud, probably as soldiers' slang. It came to mean going the rounds as a guard, connecting ordinary movement with organized watching and protection.
In context
we have created a race of robots whose function it is to patrol the planets in space ships and preserve the peace
More examples
- The security guard makes a patrol every hour.
- A patrol spots smoke near the fence.
- Officers are patrolling the neighborhood on foot.
Forms
patrol · patrols · patrolled · patrolling
patroller noun — A person who patrols an area.