pattern

American  

[pat-ern, pat-n] / ˈpæt ərn, ˈpæt n /

noun

1. a decorative design, as for wallpaper, china, or textile fabrics, etc.

   Synonyms:

   figure

2. decoration or ornament having such a design.

3. a natural or chance marking, configuration, or design.

   patterns of frost on the window.

4. a distinctive style, model, or form.

   a new pattern of army helmet.

   Synonyms:

   sort, kind

5. a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement.

   the behavior patterns of teenagers.

6. an original or model considered for or deserving of imitation.

   Our constitution has been a pattern for those of many new republics.

   Synonyms:

   exemplar, example

7. anything fashioned or designed to serve as a model or guide for something to be made.

   a paper pattern for a dress.

8. a sufficient quantity of material for making a garment.

9. the path of flight established for an aircraft approaching an airport at which it is to land.

10. a diagram of lines transmitted occasionally by a television station to aid in adjusting receiving sets; test pattern.

11. Metallurgy. a model or form, usually of wood or metal, used for giving the shape of the interior of a mold.

12. Numismatics. a coin, either the redesign of an existing piece or the model for a new one, submitted for authorization as a regular issue.

13. an example, instance, sample, or specimen.

14. Gunnery, Aerial Bombing.

    1. the distribution of strikes around a target at which artillery rounds have been fired or on which bombs have been dropped.

    2. a diagram showing such distribution.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make or fashion after or according to a pattern.

2. to cover or mark with a pattern.

3. Chiefly British Dialect.

   1. to imitate.

   2. to attempt to match or duplicate.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or fall into a pattern.

pattern ¹ British  

/ ˈpætən /

noun

1. an arrangement of repeated or corresponding parts, decorative motifs, etc

   although the notes seemed random, a careful listener could detect a pattern

2. a decorative design

   a paisley pattern

3. a style

   various patterns of cutlery

4. a plan or diagram used as a guide in making something

   a paper pattern for a dress

5. a standard way of moving, acting, etc

   traffic patterns

6. a model worthy of imitation

   a pattern of kindness

7. a representative sample

8. a wooden or metal shape or model used in a foundry to make a mould

9. 1. the arrangement of marks made in a target by bullets

   2. a diagram displaying such an arrangement

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verb

1. to model

2. to arrange as or decorate with a pattern

pattern ² British  

/ ˈpætərn /

noun

1. an outdoor assembly with religious practices, traders' stalls, etc on the feast day of a patron saint

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Other Word Forms

• nonpatterned
  adjective
• patternable
  adjective
• patterned
  adjective
• patterner
  noun
• patternless
  adjective
• patternlike
  adjective
• patterny
  adjective
• repattern
  verb (used with object)
• semipatterned
  adjective
• subpattern
  noun
• unpatterned
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of pattern

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English patron, from Medieval Latin patrōnus “model,” special use of Latin patrōnus “legal protector, advocate”; see patron

Explanation

Something that repeats in a predictable way is a pattern. You might find a pattern in a series of numbers, in the material covering your couch, or in the habits of your upstairs neighbor. The noun pattern could refer to a design or to customary behavior. Your patterns of behavior might include your morning cup of coffee and exercise. The word pattern can also be used as a verb form meaning "to model." For example, your art might be patterned after the artwork of a famous artist.

Example Sentences

The female sample was small, so the finding needs further study, but it suggested that the same brain pattern may not be limited to men.

From Science Daily • May 10, 2026

And EPA data shows that its pattern of reported infractions has continued in recent years.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

So, every week when we publish the list of potential post-earnings moves, the top candidates are stocks that display this sawtooth pattern surrounding past earnings dates.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

The stock recently retested its prior breakout from a symmetrical triangle from last September, coinciding with the lower boundary of the current bullish inverse head-and-shoulders pattern.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

And so was established the pattern our lives were to follow for over twenty years.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• kind
• method
• sequence
• shape
• sort
• style
• system
• type
• variety