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• patch
  patch

  noun

  a small piece of material used to mend a tear or break, to cover a hole, or to strengthen a weak place.
• Patch
  Patch

  noun

  Alexander McCarrell 1889–1945, U.S. World War II general.

patch

¹ American  

[pach] / pætʃ /

noun

1. a small piece of material used to mend a tear or break, to cover a hole, or to strengthen a weak place.

   patches at the elbows of a sports jacket.

2. a piece of material used to cover or protect a wound, an injured part, etc..

   a patch over the eye.

3. Also called skin patch, transdermal patch. an adhesive patch that applies to the skin and gradually delivers drugs or medication to the user.

   using a nicotine patch to try to quit smoking.

4. any of the pieces of cloth sewed together to form patchwork.

5. a small piece, scrap, or area of anything.

   a patch of ice on the road.

6. a piece or tract of land; plot.

7. a small field, plot, or garden, especially one in which a specific type of plant grows or is cultivated: a bean patch.

   a cabbage patch;

   a bean patch.

8. beauty spot.

9. Military. a cloth emblem worn on the upper uniform sleeve to identify the military unit of the wearer.

10. a small organizational or affiliational emblem of cloth sewn to one's jacket, shirt, cap, etc.

11. a connection or hookup, as between radio circuits or telephone lines.

    The patch allowed shut-ins to hear the game by telephone.

12. a period of time characterized by some quality.

    he was going through a rough patch.

13. Computers. a small piece of code designed to be inserted into an executable program in order to fix errors in or update the program or its supporting data.

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verb (used with object)

• patches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patched,
  past participle,  past
• patching
  present participle

1. to mend, cover, or strengthen with or as if with a patch or patches.

   Synonyms:

   fix

   Antonyms:

   break

2. to repair or restore, especially in a hasty or makeshift way (usually followed byup ).

3. to make by joining patches or pieces together.

   to patch a quilt.

4. to settle or smooth over (a quarrel, difference, etc.) (often followed byup ).

   They patched up their quarrel before the company arrived.

5. (especially in radio and telephone communications) to connect or hook up (circuits, programs, conversations, etc.) (often followed by through, into, etc.): Patch me through to the mainland.

   The radio show was patched through to the ship.

   Patch me through to the mainland.

6. to update (a software program) by downloading and installing a small piece of code in order to fix errors in or update a program or its supporting data.

   You may need to manually patch the game to the latest version.

verb (used without object)

• patches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patched,
  past participle,  past
• patching
  present participle

1. to make a connection between radio circuits, telephone lines, etc. (often followed by in orinto ).

   We patched into the ship-to-shore conversation.

patch ² American  

[pach] / pætʃ /

noun

1. a clown, fool, or booby.

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Patch ³ American  

[pach] / pætʃ /

noun

1. Alexander McCarrell 1889–1945, U.S. World War II general.

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patch British  

/ pætʃ /

noun

1. 1. a piece of material used to mend a garment or to make patchwork, a sewn-on pocket, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a patch pocket

2. a small piece, area, expanse, etc

3. 1. a small plot of land

   2. its produce

      a patch of cabbages

4. a district for which particular officials, such as social workers or policemen, have responsibility

   he's a problem that's on your patch, John

5. pathol any discoloured area on the skin, mucous membranes, etc, usually being one sign of a specific disorder

6. med

   1. a protective covering for an injured eye

   2. any protective dressing

7. an imitation beauty spot, esp one made of black or coloured silk, worn by both sexes, esp in the 18th century

8. Also called: flash. an identifying piece of fabric worn on the shoulder of a uniform, on a vehicle, etc

9. a small contrasting section or stretch

   a patch of cloud in the blue sky

10. a scrap; remnant

11. computing a small set of instructions to correct or improve a computer program

12. informal the insignia of a motorcycle club or gang

13. a difficult or troubled time

14. informal not nearly as good as

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verb

1. to mend or supply (a garment, etc) with a patch or patches

2. to put together or produce with patches

3. (of material) to serve as a patch to

4. (often foll by up) to mend hurriedly or in a makeshift way

5. (often foll by up) to make (up) or settle (a quarrel)

6. to connect (electric circuits) together temporarily by means of a patch board

7. (usually foll by through) to connect (a telephone call) by means of a patch board

8. computing to correct or improve (a program) by adding a small set of instructions

patch Scientific  

/ păch /

1. A temporary, removable electronic connection, as one between two components in a communications system.

2. A piece of code added to software in order to fix a bug, especially as a temporary correction between two versions of the same software.

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Synonym Usage

See mend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• patcher
  noun
• patchable
  adjective
• patchless
  adjective
• unpatched
  adjective
• well-patched
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• patching
  present
• patched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• patch
  simple
• patches
  simple
• have patched
  perfect
• has patched
  perfect
• am patching
  progressive
• are patching
  progressive
• is patching
  progressive
• have been patching
  perfect progressive
• has been patching
  perfect progressive

Past

• patched
  simple
• had patched
  perfect
• was patching
  progressive
• were patching
  progressive
• had been patching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will patch
  simple
• will have patched
  perfect
• will be patching
  progressive
• will have been patching
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of patch¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pacche, patche, pachche; of uncertain origin; perhaps an alteration of Middle French pece, pieche, piece piece ( def. )

Origin of patch²

First recorded in 1540–50; of uncertain origin; perhaps from southern Italian dialect paccio ( Italian pazzo) “fool”

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Explanation

When you patch something, you repair it, like when you patch a hole in the knee of your favorite jeans or when road crews use asphalt to patch a pothole in the street. The verb patch describes fixing by filling in a weak spot or by replacing missing material. You might patch a wall, for example, to fill in a hole before you paint it, or even “patch things up” after a disagreement with a friend. As a noun, patch describes a period of time, like a "rough patch;" the material used for fixing, like the patch you sew over a hole in fabric; or even a small piece of land, like a garden patch.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patch Patch patches patched patching

Shares have more than doubled this year, rising 134% despite the recent rough patch.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

"Ten years ago, a pumpkin patch was a field and a wheelbarrow. Now it's a wonderful experience for the whole family," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

A bright, unusual patch of rock in southern Madagascar has a surprising connection to the Moon.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

California-based Pacific Coast Energy Co., among newcomers to Venezuela’s energy patch, said this week that it has started a program to reactivate 900 wells in Cabimas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

He’d stand out like a mushroom in a flower patch.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

A Friday morning rush hour of intense bidding sent the one-of-one Cooper Flagg Topps Rookie Debut Patch Card skyrocketing at auction, selling for $8.04 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Brands including Ghost and C4 have partnered with confectioners to produce Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish and Starburst flavors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

I ask if Sour Patch Kids are gluten-free, and I get a warning about additives in the ingredient list.

From Slate ● May 6, 2026

The bioengineered RPE retinal implant is produced by Regenerative Patch Technologies LLC, a clinical-stage company focused on developing stem cell-based implants for retinal diseases.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2026

Patch was asleep in an instant, fallen across the straw in the corner.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Damp patches and water damage mark the hallway ceiling of her flat, and the windows do not shut properly.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Pimple patches containing a gel called hydrocolloid can absorb fluids from oozing pimples and stop you from picking at them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Thursday will start off chilly with mist and fog patches along with frost in places.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The original results still held: 30 years later, the mountain ash in the large cleared patches and clearfelled areas was vigorous and abundant.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Squares of light shining from inside the den glow in patches on the grass.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

He then instructed me to pull back into the driveway and patched the tire for me on the spot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The 39-year-old, who practised as a vet in Pakistan, patched himself up with glue stitches rather than wait at A&E. He said his children are now fearful of being attacked in school.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026

The confinement structure is temporarily patched, and Ukraine seeks $580 million for repairs to prevent irreversible corrosion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Carlini had reported the bug to Ghost’s developers, who patched it on Feb. 16, weeks before Carlini’s San Francisco talk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

The audience is patched in to the direct reports from a field artillery battery in New Jersey’s Watchung Mountains.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

That’s where the group’s volunteers work in concert with Southern California Gas crews patching the scores of potholes created by extreme nature, not by radial tires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

The move is aimed at patching up a looming funding gap in the country’s public healthcare system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

A woman who runs a local dry cleaner said most of her business became patching up uniforms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

"But the reality is, for most local authorities, they have to do the patching because of constraints on their funding."

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

It’s the only adequate response to what he just told me, the only thing that does the tragedy justice instead of patching it up hastily and moving on.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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Related Words

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