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pat

1
[ pat ]
/ pæt /
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verb (used with object), pat·ted, pat·ting.
verb (used without object), pat·ted, pat·ting.
to strike lightly or gently.
to walk or run with light footsteps.
noun
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Idioms about pat

Origin of pat

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English pat “blow, stroke,” apparently of expressive origin

OTHER WORDS FROM pat

un·pat·ted, adjective

Other definitions for pat (2 of 5)

pat2
[ pat ]
/ pæt /

adjective
exactly to the point or purpose; apt; opportune: a pat solution to a problem.
excessively glib; unconvincingly facile: His answers were too pat to suit the examining board.
learned, known, or mastered perfectly or exactly: to have something pat.
adverb
exactly or perfectly.
aptly; opportunely.

Origin of pat

2
First recorded in 1570–80; originally adverbial use of pat1, as obsolete to hit pat “to strike accurately”

OTHER WORDS FROM pat

patness, nounpatter, noun

Other definitions for pat (3 of 5)

Pat
[ pat ]
/ pæt /

noun
a male given name, form of Patrick.
a female given name, form of Patricia.

Other definitions for pat (4 of 5)

PAT

Football. point after touchdown; points after touchdown.
Banking. preauthorized automatic transfer.

Other definitions for pat (5 of 5)

pat.

abbreviation
patent.
patented.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pat (1 of 4)

pat1
/ (pæt) /

verb pats, patting or patted
noun

Word Origin for pat

C14: perhaps imitative

British Dictionary definitions for pat (2 of 4)

pat2
/ (pæt) /

adverb
Also: off pat exactly or fluently memorized or masteredhe recited it pat
opportunely or aptly
stand pat
  1. mainly US and Canadian to refuse to abandon a belief, decision, etc
  2. (in poker, etc) to play without adding new cards to the hand dealt
adjective
exactly right for the occasion; apta pat reply
too exactly fitting; gliba pat answer to a difficult problem
exactly righta pat hand in poker

Word Origin for pat

C17: perhaps adverbial use (``with a light stroke'') of pat 1

British Dictionary definitions for pat (3 of 4)

pat3
/ (pæt) /

noun
on one's pat Australian informal alone; on one's own

Word Origin for pat

C20: rhyming slang, from Pat Malone

British Dictionary definitions for pat (4 of 4)

Pat
/ (pæt) /

noun
an informal name for an Irishman

Word Origin for Pat

from Patrick
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with pat

pat

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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