Definition

Noun: A small, fast naval vessel designed for coastal defense, law enforcement, or security duties, such as guarding harbors, enforcing regulations, and intercepting other vessels.

Usage

A "patrol boat" is a type of watercraft. It is used to describe a specific class of military or police vessel with a primary mission of surveillance and interdiction within a designated area, such as territorial waters, a river, or a coastline.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The coast guard dispatched a patrol boat to intercept the suspicious vessel.
  • The navy uses patrol boats to monitor activity in the busy shipping lane.
  • The drug smugglers were apprehended by a customs patrol boat.

Advanced Usage

• "on patrol boat duty": Serving a shift or assignment on a patrol boat.
  • The sailors were on patrol boat duty for two weeks.

Variants and Related Words

• Patrol craft (n): A more general term for any vessel used for patrol duties, which can include patrol boats.
• Gunboat (n): A small armed vessel, often used for patrols in rivers or coastal areas; a type of patrol boat with heavier armament.

Synonyms

• Guard boat: A boat assigned to guard a specific area or asset.
• Picket boat: A small boat used for sentry or outpost duty.

Related Phrases

• Patrol vessel: A formal or technical term for a ship or boat used for patrol missions.

Noun

1. a vessel assigned to patrol an area