round-the-clock patrol

4.6

A team that watches a place all day and night to keep it safe

noun

: patrulla las 24 horas

The security company maintains a round-the-clock patrol to protect the premises.

Examples

Volunteers organized a round-the-clock patrol to keep watch over the evacuated area.
Due to the recent incidents, police have established a round-the-clock patrol in the neighborhood.
The police implemented a round-the-clock patrol in the neighborhood.
We need a round-the-clock patrol to ensure safety.
Due to the recent incidents, police have established a round-the-clock patrol in the neighborhood.
The security company maintains a round-the-clock patrol to protect the premises.
Volunteers organized a round-the-clock patrol to keep watch over the evacuated area.

Synonyms

eternal patrol

vsround-the-clock patrol

9.5

A continuous watch that never ends

is limited to continuous operations across day and night only

How Close

round-the-clock patrol

4.6

surveillance

Specialized

526 6.2

close watch

11 2.3

to watch

∞ 1.0

glance

222 1.4

watchless

Archaic

8.1

Surface Forms

round-the-clock patrol singular

round-the-clock patrols plural

Morphology

round-the-clock + patrol

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'round-the-clock' (around the clock, i.e. continuously day and night) modifies 'patrol' (a watching/monitoring activity), yielding a nonstop patrol. This compositional pattern (continuous + activity) is common and found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

The phrase round-the-clock patrol comes from the simple image of a clock with people watching all around it: round-the-clock means at every hour and patrol means people who watch an area. So a round-the-clock patrol watches a place 'all day and night' without stopping.