French word

patrouille

Pronunciation

IPA/patʁuj/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpatrol

Example

Le gardien organise une patrouille régulière autour de l'école.

The guard organizes a regular patrol around the school.

Illustration for patrouille (patrol)

More examples

Les voisins ont remarqué une patrouille de quartier hier soir.

The neighbors noticed a neighborhood patrol last night.

Core concept

An organized round by several people who monitor a set area and can act when something is wrong.

Common phrases

  • faire une patrouille

    conduct a patrol

  • une patrouille nocturne

    a night patrol

  • une patrouille de quartier

    a neighborhood patrol

Similar words

ronde: A short round through a building or zone to check its condition.
surveillance: Long-term watching with the eyes or equipment to identify possible threats.
contrôle: A formal check that confirms whether people, objects, or documents meet requirements.
garde: Guard duty assigned to protect a particular place or person, often by rotation.

Definition in French

Groupe ou activité de personnes qui patrouillent pour surveiller un périmètre et intervenir en cas d'anomalie.

Word origin

French adopted patrouille from Italian pattuglia, whose earlier meaning was a small group of soldiers, linking the group to its surveillance task.

Usage tips

  • With a place, patrouiller usually takes dans or autour de, as in patrouiller autour de l'école.

Related words

  • patrouillerpatrolverb
  • patrouilleurpatrol boatnoun

Word lists with this word