pat down

IPA/pˈat dˈaʊn/
IPA/pˈæt dˈaʊn/

pat down — phrasal verb

  • pat downbase form
  • pats down3rd person singular
  • patting down-ing form
  • patted downpast simple

1. to run your hands quickly over the outside of someone's clothes to check whether

1.片語動詞及物B1
釋義

to run your hands quickly over the outside of someone's clothes to check whether they are hiding a weapon, drugs, or other objects.

例句

A guard at the airport patted Dario down before he walked through the gate.

pat + someone + down (the person is the object)

Two officers patted down every fan at the door of the football stadium.

同義詞
  • frisk

    very close in meaning; slightly more informal and almost always about a police or security search

  • search

    more general; can mean looking through bags or rooms, not only feeling someone's clothes

文法句型

pat someone down

be patted down

用法筆記

Almost always describes a security or police check: the object is the person being searched, and the search is done by feeling the outside of their clothes, not by opening bags. Frequently appears in the passive ('was patted down').

常見錯誤

❌The guard patted down the bag for weapons.
✅The guard patted down the man for weapons.
💡you pat down a person's clothes, not a bag; you search or check a bag instead.
❌The officer patted on him before the flight.
✅The officer patted him down before the flight.
💡the particle is 'down', and the person goes between 'pat' and 'down'.