patrol car

noun

: a police automobile connected with headquarters by a two-way radio or computer : squad car
Placing an unarmed, compliant juvenile in the back of a patrol car transformed an investigatory stop into an arrest, the 9th Circuit held …—The National Law Journal

Examples of patrol car in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Detective Domingo Martinez, standing outside a police patrol car, asked Greer, who was sitting inside. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026 At eleven-thirty, the rig rolled slowly off the lot and began its stately procession onto Santa Monica Boulevard, surrounded by an entourage of patrol cars. — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026 Daniel Oxendine Harford County Sheriff's Office Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said the woman needed a ride home after an unrelated domestic incident in Baltimore, and Oxendine's supervisor authorized him to drive her in a patrol car. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 While the trooper was standing on the passenger side of the patrol car, a passing motorist struck the trooper and the patrol car, the highway patrol said. — Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for patrol car

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of patrol car was in 1926

Rhymes for patrol car

See All Rhymes for patrol car

Browse Nearby Words

patrol
patrol car
patrol judge
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Cite this Entry

“Patrol car.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patrol%20car. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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