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

In response, she's changed her commute to work: "I try to take different routes every day so there's not a pattern."

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

The apparent omissions are part of a pattern for Paxton.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Nino, a weather pattern developing over the Pacific Ocean that is triggering worldwide changes in winds, atmospheric pressure and rainfall and pushing up global temperatures.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Kit Harington and Mirren Mack star in a screen version of the classic novel that, in its stagy artifice, follows a familiar pattern among recent period pieces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

At first the trees seemed to float in a random pattern but as the water deepened, they moved in a single direction.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Investors don’t have to calculate these patterns themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Panama has declared a nationwide emergency over El Nino, a phenomenon developing over the Pacific Ocean that is affecting worldwide weather patterns and pushing up global temperatures.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Scientists also included sharks from Tampa Bay to see whether the same developmental patterns appeared in populations living on opposite sides of Florida.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

"As an industry, we're in the middle of 'Rampocalypse'. We're in the middle of people coming back from Covid and the patterns changing," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

His gorgeous turban now glowed with beautiful shades of green and patterns of dancing pearls.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

The soft green remains in the primary bedroom, which also features moody fabrics, such as a tapestry hanging on the wall and heavy patterned curtains.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

The program, said the office in a statement, is patterned after police departments’ gun buyback programs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 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

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

She wore a shimmering white sari patterned with orange paisleys, more suitable for an evening affair than for that quiet, faintly drizzling August afternoon.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

"It's remarkable how mathematical yet another aspect of plant form and patterning turns out to be," Prusinkiewicz adds.

From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026

The shrewd design’s geometric patterning reverberates against the trailblazing Bauhaus tapestries of Anni Albers, as much as those of Gutiérrez’s Oaxacan ancestors, for a work that travels through time and space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2024

They are now working to improve component accuracy by optimizing the light patterning method and by incorporating material parameters into the printing process.

From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024

One has donned an extravagant dress that features bright red-and-gold patterning.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

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