patio
Americannoun
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patios
plural
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an area, usually paved, adjoining a house and used as an area for outdoor lounging, dining, etc.
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a courtyard, especially of a house, enclosed by low buildings or walls.
noun
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an open inner courtyard, esp one in a Spanish or Spanish-American house
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an area adjoining a house, esp one that is paved and used for outdoor activities
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of patio
1820–30, < Spanish, Old Spanish: courtyard, perhaps originally open area; compare Medieval Latin patium meadow, pasturage, perhaps derivative of Latin *patitus, past participle of patēre to lie open. See patent
Explanation
A patio is a space for sitting outside that's usually paved. Your neighbors' patio might be paved with bricks and decorated with flowers in pots. Some patios are paved with stone or concrete slabs that together form a sort of outdoor floor. You can also call this area a terrace, verandah, or courtyard. A patio is usually located beside or behind a house or apartment building, although some public buildings also have patios — a restaurant might have a patio for outdoor seating, for example. Patio means "court open to the sky" in Spanish, from the Old Provençal pati, "communal pasture."
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.
See Examples For:
From there, doors lead outside to a patio surrounded by fountains, allowing the indoor living areas to flow directly into the grounds.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
"She stayed on the patio because I don't think she knew what the grass was," Wendy added.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
He noted that the new restaurant would be even bigger than the original and feature a lovely outdoor patio space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
There are coffee drinks, mocktails, optional infusions, DJs on the weekends and a back patio where friends gather to play cards, talk and linger.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
The patio was small and cozy, like the cabin of a small boat at sea, I thought.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
This preconstruction home, shown in a rendering, will feature a main floor with an open-concept living area that flows outside to multiple decks and patios.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
They have battled to keep their windows, patios and cars clean - and they have been unable to hang out their washing as piles of soot would gather on anything in their gardens.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
There are also “two guest apartments with two additional guest suites” that feature private patios and separate entrances, according to the listing.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
Filled with surprising patios, alleys and landings, it’s one of his forays into postmodernism: brightly colored buildings contain, among other features, gabled brick rooflines, extra-bulky columns, long cantilevers and cylindrical steel elevators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
New Orleans was a night town, but in late after noon, the restaurant patios had people out drinking.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
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