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Verb: pat down
  1. Search a person's body by running hands over their clothes, typically for security purposes or to find weapons or contraband
    "The guard patted down each passenger before boarding"
Noun: pat-down  'pat,dawn
  1. An act of searching a person's body by running hands over their clothes, typically for security purposes
    "Everyone underwent a pat-down at the entrance"

Derived forms: pats down, pat-downs, patting down, patted down

Encyclopedia: Pat-down