prowl car
- noun
- /praʊl kɑr/
- Jargon
:
patrulla
- He's, uh - drives a prowl car.
Examples
-
The police patrol the neighborhood in their prowl car to ensure everyone's safety.
-
Whenever I see a prowl car nearby, I feel reassured that help is close by.
-
The officers communicated through their radios while driving the prowl car during the night shift.
Synonyms
90
1.0
A car used by police to patrol streets and respond to emergencies
45
2.8
A police car that drives around an area to watch for crime
40
2.7
A car police use while patrolling, usually with a radio
32
3.2
A police car that patrols streets
9
3.0
A car that police officers use for patrolling, often with lights and a siren
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase composes 'prowl' (an act of stealthy movement or patrolling) with 'car' to mean a vehicle used for prowling/patrolling. This straightforward noun+noun composition follows common compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the intended police/patrol vehicle sense.
Etymology
Prowl car comes from the image of a police car that prowls like a cat, moving quietly at night and looking for trouble. That's why it means a police vehicle used to 'patrol' and 'watch for trouble'.