patent
noun
the exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.
patents
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pluralof patent.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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present tense formof patent (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
patentnounthe exclusive right granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
About four years after the iPhone launched in 2007, Apple sued Samsung, alleging the Korean company copied the look, product design, packaging and user interface of the iPhone and iPad, violating its patents and trademarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
The announcement also noted GoPro’s imaging and optical technology, as well as its more than 2,500 U.S. patents.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
AbbVie protected its blockbuster drug Humira by filing more than 100 patents in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
I had a long list of her published papers, of the patents in her name; I had the chronological details of her promotions—In short I had her professional “vita” in full detail.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
