pattern

American  

[pat-ern, pat-n] / ˈpæt ərn, ˈpæt n /

noun

• patterns
  plural

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)

• patterns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patterned,
  past participle,  past
• patterning
  present participle

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)

• patterns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patterned,
  past participle,  past
• patterning
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• patterns
  plural

Participles

• patterning
  present
• patterned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pattern
  simple
• patterns
  simple
• have patterned
  perfect
• has patterned
  perfect
• am patterning
  progressive
• are patterning
  progressive
• is patterning
  progressive
• have been patterning
  perfect progressive
• has been patterning
  perfect progressive

Past

• patterned
  simple
• had patterned
  perfect
• was patterning
  progressive
• were patterning
  progressive
• had been patterning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pattern
  simple
• will have patterned
  perfect
• will be patterning
  progressive
• will have been patterning
  perfect progressive

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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

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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

See Examples For:

pattern patterns patterned patterning

Although the specifics at Brown-Forman are unique, the larger pattern, one I call the cousin problem, is not.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

The inflation reaction is also part of a broader pattern.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

What we witnessed was part of a pattern being repeated day after day, as settler outposts here increase.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

By comparing these events, the researchers identified a remarkably consistent pattern.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

I see the pattern now, the game he wants me to play.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

These weather patterns have therefore meant only occasional bouts of stronger winds across the north-west of the UK, with little disruption.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

You see patterns from the first film that then repeat themselves, but on a much larger scale, in the second film.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

As aging sewer networks struggle with growing populations and changing weather patterns, a team of engineers and professors in Europe is developing a robot designed to detect and potentially address problems before disaster strikes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

To investigate how stroke patterns have changed, researchers examined cases recorded in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky between 1993 and 2020.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Tiny dents in the silver created intricate and delicate patterns where turquoise and red coral were imbedded.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Some suggest the patterned backs of playing cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

In the urban-focused section, the handles of purses or luggage are adhered to sections of the work patterned like brick and embedded with small windows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Cooper described one of the other men as a bald Black man, approximately 5 feet 9 inches or 5 feet 10 inches tall, with light-brown or hazel eyes and a blue patterned crew-neck shirt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

"I was less surprised by the differences and more surprised by some of the similarities, particularly in the ways these risks are patterned across settings," Nichols said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

The swimming fish in the sparkling water, the trees with the jade-green leaves, the courtyard with patterned walkways—all real!

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

"I've been fascinated for a long time by the camouflage and disruptive patterning of moth wings," she added.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

One of the best known examples of organized patterning is the Voronoi diagram, a geometric system that divides space into separate regions around central points.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

Most of Thomas’ paintings pile on vivid color, brash patterning and lots of sparkling rhinestones, taking an exultant step toward rectifying the omission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2024

By experimenting with mathematical patterning techniques, the team created two different types of models that allow farmers to create a protective layer of vaccinated cacao trees around unvaccinated trees.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024

Roughly: the more “rhetorical” it sounds—the more stuffed with extended metaphors, elaborate verbal patterning, and five-dollar words—the higher the style.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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