patdown

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patdown

/ˈpætˌdaʊn/

Where it comes from

Deverbal from pat down.

noun patdowns · pat-down

US, informal An act of patting somebody's clothes to check for concealed weapons, etc. To avoid such charges, airline screeners moved to random processes that led to patdowns of congressional representatives and mild-mannered elderly women...
Similar: frisk, frisking

Translations

Every language

noun patting somebody's clothes

Español	cacheo
Français	fouille corporelle, fouille à corps, palpation de sécurité

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MLA

"patdown." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/patdown. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

patdown. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/patdown

Chicago

"patdown." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/patdown.

BibTeX

@misc{patdown_2026,
  title = {patdown},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/patdown},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}