pattern

American  

[pat-ern, pat-n] / ˈpæt ərn, ˈpæt n /

noun

• patterns
  plural

1. a decorative design, as for wallpaper, china, or textile fabrics, etc.

   Synonyms:

   figure

2. decoration or ornament having such a design.

3. a natural or chance marking, configuration, or design.

   patterns of frost on the window.

4. a distinctive style, model, or form.

   a new pattern of army helmet.

   Synonyms:

   sort, kind

5. a combination of qualities, acts, tendencies, etc., forming a consistent or characteristic arrangement.

   the behavior patterns of teenagers.

6. an original or model considered for or deserving of imitation.

   Our constitution has been a pattern for those of many new republics.

   Synonyms:

   exemplar, example

7. anything fashioned or designed to serve as a model or guide for something to be made.

   a paper pattern for a dress.

8. a sufficient quantity of material for making a garment.

9. the path of flight established for an aircraft approaching an airport at which it is to land.

10. a diagram of lines transmitted occasionally by a television station to aid in adjusting receiving sets; test pattern.

11. Metallurgy. a model or form, usually of wood or metal, used for giving the shape of the interior of a mold.

12. Numismatics. a coin, either the redesign of an existing piece or the model for a new one, submitted for authorization as a regular issue.

13. an example, instance, sample, or specimen.

14. Gunnery, Aerial Bombing.

    1. the distribution of strikes around a target at which artillery rounds have been fired or on which bombs have been dropped.

    2. a diagram showing such distribution.

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verb (used with object)

• patterns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patterned,
  past participle,  past
• patterning
  present participle

1. to make or fashion after or according to a pattern.

2. to cover or mark with a pattern.

3. Chiefly British Dialect.

   1. to imitate.

   2. to attempt to match or duplicate.

verb (used without object)

• patterns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• patterned,
  past participle,  past
• patterning
  present participle

1. to make or fall into a pattern.

pattern ¹ British  

/ ˈpætən /

noun

1. an arrangement of repeated or corresponding parts, decorative motifs, etc

   although the notes seemed random, a careful listener could detect a pattern

2. a decorative design

   a paisley pattern

3. a style

   various patterns of cutlery

4. a plan or diagram used as a guide in making something

   a paper pattern for a dress

5. a standard way of moving, acting, etc

   traffic patterns

6. a model worthy of imitation

   a pattern of kindness

7. a representative sample

8. a wooden or metal shape or model used in a foundry to make a mould

9. 1. the arrangement of marks made in a target by bullets

   2. a diagram displaying such an arrangement

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verb

1. to model

2. to arrange as or decorate with a pattern

pattern ² British  

/ ˈpætərn /

noun

1. an outdoor assembly with religious practices, traders' stalls, etc on the feast day of a patron saint

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• patterner
  noun
• subpattern
  noun
• repattern
  verb (used with object)
• nonpatterned
  adjective
• patternable
  adjective
• patterned
  adjective
• patternless
  adjective
• patternlike
  adjective
• patterny
  adjective
• semipatterned
  adjective
• unpatterned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• patterns
  plural

Participles

• patterning
  present
• patterned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pattern
  simple
• patterns
  simple
• have patterned
  perfect
• has patterned
  perfect
• am patterning
  progressive
• are patterning
  progressive
• is patterning
  progressive
• have been patterning
  perfect progressive
• has been patterning
  perfect progressive

Past

• patterned
  simple
• had patterned
  perfect
• was patterning
  progressive
• were patterning
  progressive
• had been patterning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pattern
  simple
• will have patterned
  perfect
• will be patterning
  progressive
• will have been patterning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pattern

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English patron, from Medieval Latin patrōnus “model,” special use of Latin patrōnus “legal protector, advocate”; see patron

Explanation

Something that repeats in a predictable way is a pattern. You might find a pattern in a series of numbers, in the material covering your couch, or in the habits of your upstairs neighbor. The noun pattern could refer to a design or to customary behavior. Your patterns of behavior might include your morning cup of coffee and exercise. The word pattern can also be used as a verb form meaning "to model." For example, your art might be patterned after the artwork of a famous artist.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pattern patterns patterned patterning

"We found extremely high levels of anxiety and from a statistical perspective that pattern of findings is hugely unique, hugely unexpected and hugely significant."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Walter, Moore and TWG followed a pattern with the lending that went through various stages, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

The other face of the double-sided medal features a gold and indigo pattern designed by First Nations artist Ambrose Killian.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

During this moment, electronic bonds between neighboring sites alternated between stronger and weaker in a repeating pattern.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

The Corps follows this pattern village by village as they move closer to the capital city of Manila, about seventy miles north of Bauang.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

These qualities maximise the patterns of play seen from Spurs in pre-season.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Dr. Amoruso and her colleagues now want to investigate whether similar patterns appear in people with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, where brain aging and resilience are particularly important.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

"By comparing ecological ways of life for extinct and modern species, we can understand how patterns of adaptive evolution have changed through time and what factors shaped the modern biosphere."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Early in his career, he had developed an investment strategy based on the idea that there were patterns in markets, and that they didn’t behave completely randomly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

He wore a pith helmet that had been painted to match the balloon’s bright patchwork of colors and patterns, with a small, brave flag flying on top.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

But it didn’t bother Wertheim, who has a flair for patterned loafers and wears a signature red fedora.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Movie theaters with patterned carpeting have been deemed liminal, as have fast-food restaurants, parking garages and malls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Mundillo, the Puerto Rican craft of weaving intricately patterned lace, becomes for her a metaphor for networks of interconnectivity, be it, she writes in her program note, climate justice or social dreaming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Filled with eccentric decorative touches that mirrored Simmons’ vibrant public persona, the property features everything from staircase cherubs and boldly patterned wallpaper to curved French doors, terraced gardens, and a key-shaped swimming pool.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

He opened his briefcase and pulled out a black tie, which he swapped with the stylish patterned one he was wearing.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

"I've been fascinated for a long time by the camouflage and disruptive patterning of moth wings," she added.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

"The Ediacara Biota look totally bizarre in their appearance. Some of them have triradial symmetry, some have spiraling arms, some have fractal patterning," says Dr. Lidya Tarhan, a paleontologist at Yale University.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 27, 2026

The pictures’ flatly painted skin and two-dimensional patterning in textiles and wallpaper are set into shimmering visual motion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2024

And, because vegetation patterning seems to also be key in other natural systems, such as microbial communities or coastal wetlands, their results could have implications for systems beyond arid zones.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2024

“I’ll see if I can make some extra soap this month,” she said, steam rapidly patterning her forehead with beads of sweat that pooled in the creases of her frown.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• kind
• method
• sequence
• shape
• sort
• style
• system
• type
• variety