patchwork

[ pach-wurk ]
See synonyms for patchwork on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. something made up of an incongruous variety of pieces or parts; hodgepodge: a patchwork of verse forms.

  2. work made of pieces of cloth or leather of various colors or shapes sewed together, used especially for covering quilts, cushions, etc.

adjective
  1. resembling a patchwork, especially in being makeshift, irregular, or improvised: a patchwork policy of dispensing foreign aid.

verb (used with object)
  1. to make as patchwork: She specializes in patchworking skirts.

  2. to assemble or connect in making patchwork: to patchwork neckties into bedspreads.

Origin of patchwork

1
First recorded in 1685–95; patch1 + work

Other words for patchwork

Other words from patchwork

  • patchworky, adjective

Words Nearby patchwork

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use patchwork in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for patchwork

patchwork

/ (ˈpætʃˌwɜːk) /


noun
  1. needlework done by sewing pieces of different materials together

  2. something, such as a theory, made up of various parts: a patchwork of cribbed ideas

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012