In military tactics, to patrol, or conduct a patrol, is to conduct reconnaissance of a designated area or route.

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, as well as other crime prevention measures.

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 boys under the leadership of one of them, the basic unit of the Scout movement. The patrol system 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.

Military unit types Cavalry

Patrol is also the name of a board wargame.

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