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

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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

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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

This eating pattern naturally supplies omega-3 fatty acids alongside other nutrients and has been associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

However, in the course of our investigation we spoke to six doctors who described a pattern of systematic targeting.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Actually, Wedgewood’s deception is part of a pattern.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026

The facts in this case may be contested, but the underlying pattern is familiar to many foreign investors in India.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

He also assigned scores to each of them according to some made-up scoring pattern.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Subtle the production is not: Even the costumes by Karen Perry are outlandish in their riotous patterns, ballooning volume and glittery adornments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

But still, “the spirits are guiding Yamel, helping her make sense of the world, because she’s treading in patterns that have been playing out for centuries.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

This allowed the team to examine how dietary patterns were associated with the development of colorectal cancer over nearly two decades.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

To determine how those companies’ treatment patterns compared with competitors, the Journal identified a comparison group of other providers in the states serviced by the private-equity-backed companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Instead, she gazes at the patterns of light on the ceiling until her eyes seem to mist over.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

“I didn’t have any money to have stuff and I’ve often joked about it, but it’s the real truth that I patterned myself after what they considered the trash in our hometown.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

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

In the urban-focused section, the handles of purses or luggage are adhered to sections of the work patterned like brick and embedded with small windows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"I was less surprised by the differences and more surprised by some of the similarities, particularly in the ways these risks are patterned across settings," Nichols said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

Lying with Maria under her pillowy comforter patterned with red and pink roses, her unpinned hair falling over me while I recover from a nightmare.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

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

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Beyond patterning, As2S3 also changes physically when exposed to light.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 21, 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

Will pressed his face harder against the grate, until he was sure the metal zigzags were patterning his nose.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

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