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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.


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

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

    2. a diagram displaying such an arrangement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to model

  2. to arrange as or decorate with a pattern

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pattern 2 British  
/ ˈpætərn /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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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

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing pattern

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:

The researchers, plotting their cycle alongside how they feel, are investigating whether there's a pattern both in their symptoms and in how effective their medication is at helping manage them.

From BBC Jul. 13, 2026

In a report last month, Barofsky pointed the finger squarely at Fain, claiming “a recurring pattern of retaliation” against his fellow union officers.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

That pattern causing the humidity is also expected to produce some showers and thunderstorms in the mountains, which will increase the possibility of fire starts from lightning strikes.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Still, some in the industry see foie gras following the familiar pattern in which Chinese exporters, honed by fierce competition at home, undercut global competitors with low prices.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 13, 2026

My palm pattern pounds—not a burn, but more of an ache.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

“An El Niño event is a source of heat for the atmosphere, increasing global temperature and shifting weather patterns across the globe,” the World Meteorological Organization said.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 13, 2026

Researchers found that maternal care evolved only from species that showed no parental care, matching patterns previously observed in insects.

From Science Daily Jul. 12, 2026

The study, published in Physical Review Letters, found that atoms on certain gold surfaces naturally shift into protective patterns that make it extremely difficult for oxygen to react with the metal.

From Science Daily Jul. 12, 2026

Yearly weather patterns can affect the High Brown population, but overall their numbers have increased thanks to the efforts of the team, and their furry recruits.

From BBC Jul. 10, 2026

Think of improvisation as “quickly assembling” shorter rhythm or pitch patterns that you’ve already mastered.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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

For more upscale dining, there is a beautiful formal dining room that features a large table, patterned floral wallpaper, and a unique spiked chandelier that hands at the center of the space.

From MarketWatch Jun. 4, 2026

"The patterned nanostructures are imperceptible to the human eye, about the size of the wavelength of visible light," Dionne adds.

From Science Daily May 30, 2026

Hansen chose patterned terra-cotta tile from Foothill Tile & Stone Co. in Pasadena for the walls, and just outside, she used wallpaper from House of Hackney with mythical animals.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 29, 2026

“Look beyond it,” she said, and extended her finger to point to a section in the upper right, where Forest opened and tiny houses were patterned around curved paths.

From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry

"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

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

From Science Daily Apr. 21, 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

Some of the cheongsams even had Western-influenced polka-dot or plaid patterning.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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