squad car
The standard American term for a police patrol car — the marked vehicle used by uniformed officers on regular patrol duties.
Definitions
The standard American term for a police patrol car — the marked vehicle used by uniformed officers on regular patrol duties. 'Squad car' is so common in American English that it has passed from slang into standard vocabulary. Also used in Ireland. British English typically says 'police car' or 'panda car.'
A squad car pulled up to the kerb as the argument spilled onto the pavement.
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(chiefly, US, Ireland) A police car.
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- crime car74%
British police slang for a patrol car — specifically the fast-response vehicles used by traffic police or rapid response units. Less commonly known than 'squad car' (the American equivalent); primarily used within British police culture rather than by the general public.
- panda car73%
(UK, Irish, law enforcement, informal) A police car; specifically (historical), one with a broad white stripe painted around its middle on a darker-coloured or, originally, black background.
- Q-car71%
(AU, informal, dated) An unmarked police car.
- prowl car70%
American dated slang for a police patrol car — the vehicle used by officers to cruise their assigned territory watching for criminal activity. The name captures the slow, predatory movement of a police car surveilling a neighbourhood. It is now largely obsolete, replaced by 'patrol car' or 'squad car'.