patent

American  

[pat-nt, payt-, payt-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

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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”

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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

These companies are doing what they do best, investing in the pipelines of the future and extending the patent lives of their top-selling drugs.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Attendees ranged from strategists at Anthropic and SAP to employees of branding firms, as well as patent attorneys who discussed AI’s influence on trademark law over coffee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Blau, Bhutani and other coauthors are inventors on patent applications held by Stanford University involving 15-PGDH inhibition for cartilage and tissue rejuvenation.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

An adjunct professor at Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law, he’s taught ethics, antitrust, copyright and patent law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Her little patent leather pocketbook plaintively matches her pumps.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Disclosures: S.C. holds patents or pending patents on PD-L2 at Mayo Clinic and Spanish National Cancer Research Center, some of which have been licensed to Rejuveron Senescence Therapeutics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Press coverage of patents has steadily grown in the digital era, as the Patent Office’s online database helps enthusiasts and advocates monitor their areas of interest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Audio firm Taction Technology claimed in 2021 that Apple had infringed two of its patents for haptics systems, which enable vibrations for actions such as receiving a message or pressing a button.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

When a country has a relative scarcity of younger workers, that country’s technology sector rises to the occasion, resulting in “more labor-saving patents and growing high-tech activity.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Loomis obtained other patents, including one for a mechanical horse-race toy, but he was proudest of the Aberdeen Chronograph, which became standard field equipment for the army and the navy.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Bisnoff was hired by McLear Ltd., a British company, to develop a U.S. market for McLear’s patented smart rings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

The vocals throughout have that patented, tingling Jayhawks sound; the instrumentals are as sharp as fans will recall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

"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

It was the perfect opportunity for a patented Roy Lee kind of move.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

At Fudan, Lu has continued to research infectious diseases, recently patenting technology for an improved Covid-19 antiviral, which was licensed by an American company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

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

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

With the help of hid dad, he setup Arcane Footwear in 2021 after patenting a magnetic spring cushion which can be used in trainers.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024

"My father absolutely just did not have any interest personally in patenting and in the vaccine being patented."

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2023

Lawrence eventually accepted the patenting of scientific inventions as a necessary evil.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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