patch

[pach]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR patch ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a piece of material used to cover or protect a wound, an injured part, etc.: a patch over the eye.

Also called skin patch, trans·der·mal 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.

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

a small piece, scrap, or area of anything: a patch of ice on the road.

a piece or tract of land; plot.

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

beauty spot(def 1).

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

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

a connection or hookup, as between radio circuits or telephone lines: The patch allowed shut-ins to hear the game by telephone.

a period of time characterized by some quality: he was going through a rough patch.

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.

verb (used with object)

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

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

to make by joining patches or pieces together: to patch a quilt.

to settle or smooth over (a quarrel, difference, etc.) (often followed by up): They patched up their quarrel before the company arrived.

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

verb (used without object)

to make a connection between radio circuits, telephone lines, etc. (often followed by in or into): We patched into the ship-to-shore conversation.

Origin of patch

1350–1400; Middle English pacche; perhaps akin to Old Provençal pedas piece to cover a hole < Vulgar Latin *pedaceum literally, something measured; compare Medieval Latin pedāre to measure in feet; see -ped

Related formspatch·a·ble, adjectivepatch·er, nounpatch·less, adjectiveun·patched, adjectivewell-patched, adjective

Synonyms for patch

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR patch ON THESAURUS.COM

14. fix. See mend.

Antonyms for patch

14. break.

patch

[pach]

noun

a clown, fool, or booby.

Origin of patch

1540–50; perhaps < Italian pazzo fool

Patch

[pach]

noun

Alexander Mc·Car·rell

[muh-kar-uh l] /məˈkær əl/, 1889–1945, U.S. World War II general.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for patch

plot, land, stretch, chunk, strip, lot, tract, bit, ground, sew, repair, rebuild, revamp, reinforce, reconstruct, cobble, fix, shred, hunk, blob

Examples from the Web for patch

Contemporary Examples of patch

But the illusions of peace and tranquility soon crumble around them like a patch of freshly laid snow.
‘Force Majeure’ and the Swedish Family Vacation From Hell
Alex Suskind
October 27, 2014
There was a patch of congealed blood behind his head: “Except for the blood…the dead man looked immaculate.”
How to Get Away With a Hollywood Murder
Tim Teeman
October 10, 2014
A powder-blue blazer with a patch reading “All-Time All-American” hung in a clear plastic bag from the closet doorknob.
Football Great Bob Suffridge Wanders Through the End Zone of Life
Paul Hemphill
September 6, 2014
Nobody else thought that his patch, on a 60-degree angled slope, was viable as a vineyard.
Napa’s Earthquake Is Not The Only Thing Shaking The Vineyards
Clive Irving
August 31, 2014
But while this basic maintenance was important, the "main focus is giving [volunteers] more interaction" said Patch.
Iowa GOP's Quirky Volunteer Effort
Ben Jacobs
August 19, 2014

Historical Examples of patch

There was Patch after was drowned out of a curagh that turned over.
Riders to the Sea
J. M. Synge
I see that he has a patch over his eye, even as he had at Poictiers.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
By and by, they stood just outside the patch of light that fell from one of the windows.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
I s'pose you're sorry some of us didn't get all cut up and bruised, so you could patch us up.
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Allen Chapman
I called my sketch "A Patch of Light," and sent it to a magazine.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

British Dictionary definitions for patch

patch

noun

a piece of material used to mend a garment or to make patchwork, a sewn-on pocket, etc
(as modifier)a patch pocket

a small piece, area, expanse, etc

a small plot of land
its producea patch of cabbages

a district for which particular officials, such as social workers or policemen, have responsibilityhe's a problem that's on your patch, John

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

med

a protective covering for an injured eye
any protective dressing

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

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

a small contrasting section or stretcha patch of cloud in the blue sky

a scrap; remnant

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

Australian informal the insignia of a motorcycle club or gang

a bad patch a difficult or troubled time

not a patch on informal not nearly as good as

verb (tr)

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

to put together or produce with patches

(of material) to serve as a patch to

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

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

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

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

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

Derived Formspatchable, adjectivepatcher, noun

Word Origin for patch

C16 pacche, perhaps from French pieche piece

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

Word Origin and History for patch

n.1

"piece of cloth used to mend another material," late 14c., of obscure origin, perhaps a variant of pece, pieche, from Old North French pieche (see piece (n.)), or from an unrecorded Old English word (but Old English had claðflyhte "a patch"). Phrase not a patch on "nowhere near as good as" is from 1860.

n.2

"fool, clown," 1540s, perhaps from Italian pazzo "fool," of unknown origin. Possibly from Old High German barzjan "to rave" [Klein]. But Buck says pazzo is originally euphemistic, and from Latin patiens "suffering," in medical use, "the patient." Form perhaps influenced by folk etymology derivation from patch (n.1), on notion of a fool's patched garb.

mid-15c., from patch (n.1). Electronics sense of "to connect temporarily" is attested from 1923. Related: Patched; patching.

patch in Medicine