What does "pattern" mean?
Model, example.; Something from which a copy is made; a model or outline.
Pattern
/ˈpatən/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Model, example.; Something from which a copy is made; a model or outline.
- Grammar: pattern is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: design, model, 3, 4.
- Useful contrasts: apparent randomness, unpatterned design, no pattern.
- Usage evidence: We've gotten into this fixed pattern.
How to use "pattern"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pattern" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pattern" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pattern" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pattern" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pattern" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "design" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pattern", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Model, example.; Something from which a copy is made; a model or outline.
"The wallpaper had a floral pattern."
- 2 a customary way of operation or behavior wordnet
- 3 Model, example.; Someone or something seen as an example to be imitated; an exemplar.
"Well! the King of France died pardoning & pitying all those who had tortured his Soul & Body, a great Pattern for us all."
- 4 a decorative or artistic work wordnet
- 5 Model, example.; A copy. archaic
Show 23 more definitions
- 6 something regarded as a normative example wordnet
- 7 Model, example.; A sample; of coins, an example which was struck but never minted.
- 8 something intended as a guide for making something else wordnet
- 9 Model, example.; A representative example.
- 10 a perceptual structure wordnet
- 11 Model, example.; The material needed to make a piece of clothing. US
- 12 a model considered worthy of imitation wordnet
- 13 Model, example.; The paper or cardboard template from which the parts of a garment are traced onto fabric prior to cutting out and assembling.
- 14 graphical representation (in polar or Cartesian coordinates) of the spatial distribution of radiation from an antenna as a function of angle wordnet
- 15 Model, example.; A full-sized model around which a mould of sand is made, to receive the melted metal. It is usually made of wood and in several parts, so as to be removed from the mould without damage. dated
"From this point those who became pupils went on to a further series of shops, usually commencing with the pattern shop. […] However, some of us did make quite reasonable patterns and had the satisfaction of seeing castings produced from them but, sad to say, many of these efforts were used as firewood after they had left the shop."
- 16 the path that is prescribed for an airplane that is preparing to land at an airport wordnet
- 17 Model, example.; A text string containing wildcards, used for matching.
"There were no files matching the pattern *.txt."
- 18 Model, example.; A design pattern. in-compounds
- 19 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; A design, motif or decoration, especially formed from regular repeated elements.
"On my way to work the other day, I stopped at a church in Rome and saw a painting of the Madonna. The subtle pattern of blues and golds in the embroidery of her dress was so amazing that I used it to design a new evening dress for my haute couture."
- 20 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; A naturally-occurring or random arrangement of shapes, colours etc. which have a regular or decorative effect.
"He lifted the entire joint or fowl up into the air, speared on a carving fork, and sliced pieces off it so that they fell on the plate below in perfectly organised patterns."
- 21 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; The given spread, range etc. of shot fired from a gun.
- 22 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; A particular sequence of events, facts etc. which can be understood, used to predict the future, or seen to have a mathematical, geometric, statistical etc. relationship.
"follow a pattern"
- 23 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; An intelligible arrangement in a given area of language.
- 24 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; A sequence of notes, percussion etc. in a tracker module, usable once or many times within the song.
"Pattern 10 is open in figure 3.9, showing the 64 notes in the pattern (each pattern in this song has 64 beats)."
- 25 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; A configuration of cells in a cellular automaton universe.
"For example, at one point it claims that in order to view a pattern capable of reproduction and evolution, one would need a computer with a screen the size of the solar system, and the pattern would be so sparse anyway as to be almost unobservable."
- 26 Coherent or decorative arrangement.; Any arrangement or agreement, or way of conducting business. Multicultural-London-English
"I got so much of it, my cousins think I've got a pattern with Celine And that I'm lyin', when I say that I do no get it for free"
- 27 A wont or habit to cause an annoyance or bother; to stir up trouble Singapore, informal
"This guy always chut pattern like badminton."
- 28 The devotions that take place within a parish on the feast day of the patron saint of that parish. Ireland
Verb
- 1 To apply a pattern.
- 2 plan or create according to a model or models wordnet
- 3 To make or design (anything) by, from, or after, something that serves as a pattern; to copy; to model; to imitate.
"[A temple] patterned […] from that which Adam reared in Paradise."
- 4 form a pattern wordnet
- 5 To follow an example.
"Under his system, patterned after the French, the army corps became a more mobile, flexible command."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 To fit into a pattern.
"Although there is no direct evidence for the identification of *θi as a genuine prefix in this word, it patterns well with the other discussed instances of *θi- both morphologically and semantically."
- 7 To serve as an example for. transitive
- 8 To observe an animal closely over time in order to discern its habitual movements and behaviours. transitive
- 9 To arrange, to organise, to fix. Multicultural-London-English
"MALACHI: Are you two fucking mad? Listen, you need to pattern up, you know?"
- 10 To arrange, to organise, to fix.; To assault. Multicultural-London-English
"Pattern gang, who they patterning? Pull up, skrr, have them panicking."
- 11 To arrange, to organise, to fix.; To teach someone a lesson. Multicultural-London-English
"The system can't pattern me out or pattern me down, I'll pattern these clowns. They tried block my path, I built my own. Ya dun know, better start patterning now."
- 12 To arrange, to organise, to fix.; To have sex with. Multicultural-London-English
"Pretty girls wanna beat, wanna pattern."
- 13 To arrange, to organise, to fix.; To arrange the sale or supply of something, especially illegal drugs. Multicultural-London-English
"You know man's patterned, man's still slanging. Pack just vanished, all raw, no magic."
- 14 To arrange, to organise, to fix.; To do or perform an activity Multicultural-London-English
"Oh, you mad? Then come at me, you prick. Make a move, better pattern it quick."
Adjective
- 1 Of or in accordance with a usual pattern, or type; model; ideal. not-comparable
""Not to me," interrupted his sister. "I will have no straw-bonneted, gingham-gowned pattern wives in my acquaintance. I shall make a point of cutting you.""
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
apparent randomnessunpatterned designno patternno patterns
Example
"We've gotten into this fixed pattern."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pattern"?
Common synonyms include: design, model, 3, 4, 5, a-line skirt pattern.
How do you use "pattern" in a sentence?
We've gotten into this fixed pattern.
How do you pronounce "pattern"?
Pronounced /ˈpatən/.
Etymology
From earlier patten, paterne, from Middle English patron (“patron; example”), from Old French patron, from Medieval Latin patrōnus (“patron”). Doublet of padrone, patron, Patronus, and patroon.