Definition

Noun: A government agency or unit of officers responsible for monitoring and securing a country's international borders to prevent illegal entry, smuggling, and other cross-border crimes.

Usage

The term "border patrol" is used as a singular noun to refer to the organization or force as a whole. It is often preceded by a definite article ("the") or a possessive determiner (e.g., "our," "the national").

Examples

• Noun:
  • The border patrol increased surveillance along the river.
  • He joined the border patrol after completing his training.
  • A call was made to border patrol after suspicious activity was detected.

Advanced Usage

• "to be stopped by border patrol": to be intercepted and questioned by officers of this agency while near a border.
  • The hikers were stopped by border patrol and asked for identification.

Variants and Related Words

• Border Patrol Agent (n): an individual officer who is a member of the border patrol.
  • She is a dedicated border patrol agent.

Synonyms

• Border guard: A general term for personnel who guard a border.
• Frontier force: A formal term for a military or police unit guarding a border (more common in some other countries).

Related Phrases

• "to patrol the border" (verb phrase): to carry out the activity of monitoring the border. This is the action performed by the border patrol.
  • It is dangerous to patrol the border in this remote region.

Noun

1. a group of officers who patrol the borders of a country