patent

American  

[pat-nt, peyt-, peyt-nt] / ˈpæt nt, ˈpeɪt-, ˈpeɪt nt /

noun

• patents
  plural

1. the exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.

2. an invention or process protected by an exclusive right to manufacture, use, or sell it.

3. an official document conferring on the inventor the exclusive right to manufacture, use, or sell an invention; letters patent.

4. Law. the instrument by which the government of the United States conveys the legal fee-simple title to public land.

5. patent leather.

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adjective

1. protected by an exclusive right given to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention; patented.

   a patent cooling device.

2. relating to, concerned with, or dealing with the granting of exclusive rights to sell or manufacture something, especially inventions.

   a patent attorney;

   patent law.

3. (of a right, privilege, etc.) conferred by a patent.

4. holding an exclusive right to manufacture, use, or sell an invention.

5. readily open to notice or observation; evident; obvious.

   She turned her nose up at me in a patent breach of good manners.

   Synonyms:

   unconcealed, conspicuous, palpable, clear

   Antonyms:

   hidden, obscure, dim

6. made of patent leather.

   patent shoes.

7. (of a medication) sold without a prescription and usually protected by an exclusive legal right to manufacture.

   patent remedies;

   patent drugs.

8. lying open; not enclosed or shut in.

   a patent field.

9. (of a doorway, passage, or the like) open.

10. Chiefly Botany. expanded or spreading.

11. Medicine/Medical. (of a duct or passage in the body) open or unobstructed.

12. Phonetics. open, in various degrees, to the passage of the breath stream.

verb (used with object)

• patents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patented,
  past participle,  past
• patenting
  present participle

1. to take out a patent on; obtain the exclusive rights to (an invention, process, etc.) by a patent.

2. to originate and establish as one's own.

3. Metallurgy. to heat and quench (wire) so as to prepare for cold-drawing.

4. Law. to grant (public land) by a patent.

patent British  

/ ˈpeɪtənt, ˈpætənt /

noun

1. 1. a government grant to an inventor assuring him the sole right to make, use, and sell his invention for a limited period

   2. a document conveying such a grant

2. an invention, privilege, etc, protected by a patent

3. 1. an official document granting a right

   2. any right granted by such a document

4. 1. a grant by the government of title to public lands

   2. the instrument by which such title is granted

   3. the land so granted

5. a sign that one possesses a certain quality

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adjective

1. open or available for inspection (esp in the phrases letters patent, patent writ )

2. obvious

   their scorn was patent to everyone

3. concerning protection, appointment, etc, of or by a patent or patents

4. proprietary

5. (esp of a bodily passage or duct) being open or unobstructed

6. biology spreading out widely

   patent branches

7. (of plate glass) ground and polished on both sides

verb

1. to obtain a patent for

2. (in the US) to grant (public land or mineral rights) by a patent

3. metallurgy to heat (a metal) above a transformation temperature and cool it at a rate that allows cold working

Usage

The pronunciation ˈpætənt is heard in letters patent and Patent Office and is the usual US pronunciation for all senses. In Britain ˈpætənt is sometimes heard for senses 1, 2 and 3, but ˈpeɪtənt is commoner and is regularly used in collocations like patent leather

Synonym Usage

See apparent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpatentability
  noun
• patentability
  noun
• prepatent
  noun
• unpatentability
  noun
• nonpatentable
  adjective
• nonpatented
  adjective
• patentable
  adjective
• unpatent
  adjective
• unpatentable
  adjective
• unpatented
  adjective
• nonpatently
  adverb
• patentably
  adverb
• patently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• patents
  plural

Participles

• patenting
  present
• patented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• patent
  simple
• patents
  simple
• have patented
  perfect
• has patented
  perfect
• am patenting
  progressive
• are patenting
  progressive
• is patenting
  progressive
• have been patenting
  perfect progressive
• has been patenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• patented
  simple
• had patented
  perfect
• was patenting
  progressive
• were patenting
  progressive
• had been patenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will patent
  simple
• will have patented
  perfect
• will be patenting
  progressive
• will have been patenting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of patent

First recorded in 1250–1300; (adjective) Middle English, from Latin patent-, stem of patēns “open, standing open,” present participle of patēre “to stand open, lie open”; (noun) Middle English, short for letters patent, translation of Medieval Latin litterae patentēs “open letters”

Explanation

A patent is a government document that proves that an invention is yours and yours alone. In the U.S., as of 2009, over 7,000,000 patents were issued by the Patent and Trademark Office. Patent also refers to leather that has a very shiny finish. The process for making leather look like this was once patented, but since patents do not last forever, the process is now available for anyone to use. As with patent leather, the word is often used as part of a sales pitch, explaining why something is special: "We use patented technology..." or "Our patented method..."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

patent patents patented patenting

And just like supermarket shoppers, a CEO who walks into the store hungry—staring down a patent cliff with an empty pipeline—is far more prone to expensive, panic-driven mistakes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The work, published in Advanced Functional Materials and the subject of a patent application, relies on two key components.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

Drug companies that price their medicines consistently below the threshold could ensure patients have unfettered access to their drugs, meaning no prior authorization, while those that price above that threshold would jeopardize their patent protection.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Emanuel grasped the potential of the diesel engine and secured its patent rights in Russia in 1898.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The slippers on my feet are scuffed patent leather.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

The researchers have applied for patents covering the technology in several countries, and two patents have already been authorized.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

The Basel-based group is facing the expiry of patents for a number of its drugs, including Entresto, a flagship treatment for heart failure.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

One of the pieces of evidence for this that they uncovered: Countries and U.S. regions with declining birthrates see increases in labor-saving patents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Drs. Michelle Bradbury and Ulrich Wiesner are inventors on patents related to the technology described in this study.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

“I practically built that place! I have credits on nineteen of their patents, you know. You’d think they’d have some respect.”

From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm

"So this retains the biodegradability," she added, declining to reveal further details of the patented process.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

If a patented drug is listed by the U.S. government as in short supply, compounders can legally produce it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

For the new study, the researchers examined much larger particles created through a patented high-temperature flame process.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

In any case, get used to it: China-made vehicles, transplant brands, patented technology and aesthetics are likely to reshape the U.S. auto market in the next decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Mitt, unconcerned, hopped a little dance, his patented jig, waving madly, legs pumping.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Knight had to go to court to fight a former work colleague, Charles Annan, from patenting the idea himself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

In his spare time, he enjoys inventing and patenting original ideas.

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating anti-competitive action by leading benefit managers, as well as drug company patenting tricks that slow the entry of cheaper drugs to the market.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

But manufacturers have long tweaked the delivery methods, patenting the changes, in ways that sometimes make the drugs more convenient to administer.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2024

Chakrabarty’s victory opened up the possibility of patenting other living things, including genetically modified animals and cell lines, which didn’t occur naturally outside the body.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• charter
• concession
• license
• privilege
• protection