Definition

1. Noun:
   • A police patrol car: A vehicle used by police officers for patrolling streets and responding to incidents, typically equipped with a two-way radio for communication with headquarters or dispatch.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The officer returned to the squad car to file a report.
  • We saw a squad car with its lights flashing speeding down the avenue.
  • The suspect was placed in the back of the squad car.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in a squad car": to be inside a police patrol vehicle.
  • The rookie spent his first week observing from the passenger seat of a squad car.
• "squad car pursuit": a chase involving a police patrol vehicle.
  • The news broadcast showed footage of a squad car pursuit.

Variants and Related Words

• Patrol car (n): A synonym for squad car; a police vehicle used for routine patrols.
  • The patrol car circled the neighborhood every hour.
• Cruiser (n): Another common term for a police patrol vehicle, especially in American English.
  • A police cruiser was parked outside the bank.
• Radio car (n): An older term emphasizing the vehicle's communication equipment.
• Panda car (n): A British informal term for a small police patrol car, historically painted in a black and white color scheme.

Synonyms

• Police car: The most common general synonym.
• Patrol vehicle: A more formal term.
• Black-and-white: Informal American term, referring to the traditional color scheme of many police cars.

Related Phrases

• "to call for a squad car": to request police presence by radio.
  • The dispatcher told the officer to call for a squad car as backup.
• "squad car detail": an assignment involving the use of a patrol car.
  • He was assigned to squad car detail for the downtown area.

Noun

1. a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters