to strike lightly or gently with something flat, as with a paddle or the palm of the hand, usually in order to flatten, smooth, or shape.
to pat dough into flat pastry forms.
to stroke or tap gently with the palm or fingers as an expression of affection, approbation, etc.
to strike (the floor, ground, etc.) with light footsteps.
to strike lightly or gently.
to walk or run with light footsteps.
a pat on the back, a word of praise, congratulations, or encouragement.
Everyone needs a pat on the back now and then.
pat down, to pat or pass the hands over the body of (a clothed person) to detect concealed weapons, drugs, etc.
pat on the back, to praise, congratulate, or encourage.
The boss patted him on the back for the deal he made yesterday.
exactly or perfectly.
aptly; opportunely.
stand pat,
to cling or hold firm to one's decision, policy, or beliefs.
The government must stand pat in its policy.
Poker. to play a hand as dealt, without drawing other cards.
down pat, mastered or learned perfectly: Also down cold
If you're an actor, you have to get your lines down pat.
Football. point after touchdown; points after touchdown.
Banking. preauthorized automatic transfer.
patent.
patented.
to hit (something) lightly with the palm of the hand or some other flat surface
to pat a ball
to slap (a person or animal) gently, esp on the back, as an expression of affection, congratulation, etc
(tr) to shape, smooth, etc, with a flat instrument or the palm
(intr) to walk or run with light footsteps
informal to congratulate or encourage someone
a light blow with something flat
a gentle slap
a small mass of something
a pat of butter
the sound made by a light stroke or light footsteps
informal a gesture or word indicating approval or encouragement
Also: off pat. exactly or fluently memorized or mastered
he recited it pat
opportunely or aptly
to refuse to abandon a belief, decision, etc
(in poker, etc) to play without adding new cards to the hand dealt
exactly right for the occasion; apt
a pat reply
too exactly fitting; glib
a pat answer to a difficult problem
exactly right
a pat hand in poker
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English pat “blow, stroke,” apparently of expressive origin
First recorded in 1570–80; originally adverbial use of pat 1, as obsolete to hit pat “to strike accurately”
When you pat, you tap lightly with your hand. A sad friend might be comforted by a kind pat on the shoulder. But that sad friend would not be comforted by a pat, insincere, comment. Your grandfather might pat you on the head just like when you were little, even though you're taller than he is now. Dogs like getting a pat on the head, or maybe a pat of butter from the dinner table. When it's an adjective, pat means "way too simple" or "glib," as in "I asked a serious question — please don't give me a pat answer." To "have something down pat" is to know it by heart.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At its previous policy meeting in May, the Bank of Korea stood pat but signaled that it would raise rates in the coming months, citing upside risks to growth and inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
"It feels to me like they are looking for reasons to stand pat, and this gives them a reason," said Edelberg, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Anything less than that, and the Fed is almost certain to stand pat.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Bank of England is also expected to stand pat.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
I’m so pleased, I give him a little pat on the back.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Pat Healey, CEO of Valhalla’s parent company, Viking Yacht, said it is working on a 65-foot boat—10 feet longer than its current flagship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
So often we have seen the first ball of a series set the tone and when Crawley drove Pat Cummins gloriously through the covers for four, a statement had been made.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Her whole life, she watched her dad, Pat, give back to the South Bay community he was raised in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Years before his diagnosis, Pat Aust advocated to install a sprinkler system inside the care home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
It was August 1952, and we were in Marion for the wedding of Jimmie’s younger sister Pat to her college sweetheart, Walter.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
In PAT, tissue molecules that absorb light vibrate after being hit by short laser pulses, producing acoustic signals that can be measured and converted into detailed images.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2026
Oxytocin or PAT alone showed no effect on wound healing, the researchers wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
A third group got a placebo nose spray with a PAT.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Allow choreographed touchdown/turnover celebrations, speed up pace of play, move back PAT kicks…
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025
"Bedad," says PAT, "don't I see that for meself; but phatis he doin' it for?"
From Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 19, August 6, 1870 by Various
“We finally got it down pat. We’ve got the chemistry down pat, where we know where guys are going to be. … We’re just all on one page,” Wall said.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 26, 2017
“I don’t think you’ll see us sitting pat. I think you’ll see us aggressive and trying to get better. Maybe in some areas that the normal fan isn’t anticipating to happen.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2016
Cold Rolled—Shafting, piston rods, pump rods, Collins pat. double compression couplings, manufactured by Jones & Laughlins, Pittsburgh, Pa. For solid wrought-iron beams, etc., see advertisement.
We drank it, O ale-knight, sub teg. pat. fag. more than five years ago, of a summer evening, in dear old Cambridge, then undisfigured by the New Chapel.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 13, November, 1858 by Various
Diamine orange D C, pat., with an addition of 6½ oz. soap, 4 to 5 dr. soda per 10 gallons liquor, 16 oz.
From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Beech, Franklin
He pats my arm, then walks me to Jaarsma Bakery and stands in line with me, telling me how good the cake is.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025
The room where we meet has several places to sit, but Chan pats a spot on her couch right next to her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
An agent with a baseball hat and FBI vest pats his heart and appears to be talking to him and trying to calm him down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
Then in went the sliced garlic and tomatoes, the pan deglazed with a few generous pats of salted butter.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2025
She pats my shoulder before standing up to go finish washing the dishes.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
The president patted one student on the arm and asked if he was a "strong person," to which the boy replied "yes, sir."
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
As Hugo Ekitike walked off to the adulation of the Anfield crowd last Saturday and took his seat on the bench, Alexander Isak simply patted his Liverpool team-mate's hair from behind.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026
Powell just eased up on the gas to drop to 55 mph from 70 and patted your knee.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
So, I grabbed him by his halter and gave that talk and patted him on the nose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
Absently, she patted her tummy, for it had been some hours and a great deal of walking since breakfast.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
He deployed a charm offensive throughout his stay here, confident in the impact of his personal touch on world leaders, often seen patting Xi on the back and repeatedly calling him his friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
The two leaders shook hands warmly, Trump patting Xi's hand, and exchanged a few words on the red carpet before the cameras.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
"She's an amazing person and an amazing fighter, and she announced a minor difficulty which will be in good shape," Trumps said, patting her on the shoulder.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
But at the tail end of his monologue, O’Brien assured viewers that the Oscars exist to honor cinema as an art form, not for the Hollywood industrial complex patting itself on the back.
From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2026
He thought of Gramps patting the walls of the house.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
