How to Use pat down in a Sentence

pat down

verb
  • Place the bulb in the hole pointy-side up, then cover with soil and pat down.
    Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Once your plants are in place, fill in the gaps with more soil and lightly pat down around the plants.
    Miranda Crowell, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Some tried to pat down the flames engulfing their friends.
    Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2022
  • Poke a hole in the soil, place them about ½ to 1 inch deep, lightly cover with soil and pat down.
    Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 20 Jan. 2021
  • Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-by-13-inch pan and pat down evenly to form a flat crust.
    Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 29 Apr. 2023
  • Spread the crumbs evenly and pat down a bit with a spatula.
    Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 12 May 2021
  • Use the palm of your hand to gently pat down any bubbles that may have begun to form.
    Janelle Bitker, SFChronicle.com, 2 Dec. 2020
  • The fentanyl was discovered after a pat down, the CBP said.
    Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News, 16 June 2022
  • Cut into 1-inch slices and pat down with a meat bat or bottom of a heavy skillet to 1/2-inch thick pieces.
    Tribune News Service, cleveland, 19 Apr. 2021
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat down into a 10-inch circle.
    Grant Melton, Bon Appétit, 27 Nov. 2020
  • Lafrance complied with being handcuffed and patted down outside the home, the statement said.
    Claire Law, BostonGlobe.com, 22 June 2023
  • Dust your hands liberally with flour and pat down the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
    Allison Robicelli, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2023
  • While students can be patted down and their bags searched at the door, a wristband that’s slipped on after a safety check often comes with a pat on the back or kind word.
    Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2023
  • The student suspected in the shooting was under a school safety plan in which he was patted down each day, the police chief said.
    Eric Levenson, CNN, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Denver Police said the shooter was a student at the school, East High School, who’d been the subject of a school safety plan that called for him to be patted down each day.
    Mark Joyella, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
  • Instead, the child goes to school every day and receives a daily pat down from untrained school staff before going to class.
    Seyward Darby, Longreads, 7 Apr. 2023
  • Your electronics might be swabbed and tested (be prepared to take off any cases), and you might also be patted down.
    Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 19 June 2023
  • After the car and Jackson had been found, deputies patted down Jackson and placed him in the back of Hernandez’s patrol vehicle.
    Ben Brasch, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
  • After the car and Jackson had been found, deputies patted down Jackson and placed him in the back of Hernandez's patrol vehicle.
    Ben Brasch The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Replace the soil, pat down firmly making sure no air pockets remain, then water well.
    Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 25 Aug. 2021
  • The last group of men who had been waiting there were taken into custody, patted down and escorted to a bus for processing.
    Jason Hanna, CNN, 12 May 2023
  • Officers took Mitchell into custody for the warrant and conducted a pat down on him which turned up a Glock 9mm pistol in his waistband.
    Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 31 Aug. 2023
  • The student was being patted down in a routine safety check due to past behavior issues.
    Harold Maass, The Week, 23 Mar. 2023
  • The ensuing full-body pat down took another 25 minutes.
    Rachel Wolfe, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2022
  • If the animal is wearing a coat or sweater, the officer may subject the pet to a pat down, but disrobing the animal is not necessary.
    Andrea Sachs, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Feb. 2023
  • The savvy among us will have already a few work-arounds (go for a stain instead of a gloss, pat down color with a tissue pre-mask, etc), but 2021 will bring enough new stay-in-place lip shades for all of us to find our comfort zone.
    April Long, Town & Country, 21 Jan. 2021
  • Miller walked through a tunnel of teammates and smoke machines, before being patted down by senior Adam Cottrell.
    Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2023
  • Loosen the root balls, place them in a shallow layer of soil, add soil around them, and pat down the soil. Give it water. Give the plants some water to help prevent transplant shock, keeping in mind that the container doesn’t have any drainage holes.
    Jennifer Nalewicki, Popular Mechanics, 16 Nov. 2020
  • The deputies were conducting an investigation and began patting down [the man].
    Deena Zaru, ABC News, 5 July 2023
  • Stop-and-frisk policies allow officers to stop, question and pat down anyone believed to be suspicious.
    Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 14 Feb. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pat down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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