patrulhar

Patrulhar is a Portuguese verb meaning to patrol. It denotes the act of moving through an area in a planned pattern to observe conditions, deter crime, ensure safety, or enforce rules. The action is typically undertaken by police, security guards, military units, border or coast guards, or park rangers. Patrulhar can be performed as a visible presence or as part of surveillance operations.

Etymology: The verb derives from patrulha, a noun meaning patrol, which itself likely comes from the French patrouille, transmitted through Portuguese influence. The suffix -ar marks it as an -ar verb, and patrulhar follows the regular conjugation pattern of such verbs.

Usage: Patrulhar is transitive and used with direct objects such as ruas, bairros, fronteiras, or costas. Example sentences include: "A polícia patrulha as ruas da cidade," "As equipes de patrulha patrulham a fronteira," and "O destacamento patrulhou o litoral durante a noite." Conjugation follows regular -ar patterns: eu patrulho, tu patrulhas, ele patrulha, nós patrulhamos, vós patrulhais, eles patrulham. The gerund is patrulhando; the noun patrulha denotes a patrol or the act of patrolling.

See also: patrulha, patrulha policial, patrulha marítima, fronteira patrulhada.