1
: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2
: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3
: not hasty or impetuous
4
: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5
a
: able or willing to bear
—used with of
b
: susceptible, admitting
patient of one interpretation
1
a
: an individual awaiting or under medical care and treatment
cancer patients
psychiatric patients
b
: the recipient of any of various personal services
2
: one that is acted upon
are agents as well as patients and observers in the world—
C. H. Whiteley
C. H. WhiteleySynonyms
Examples of patient in a Sentence
Adjective
To pry apart violent Islamic radicals, the United States has to become knowledgeable about internal cleavages and be patient in exploiting them.
—Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
I pack them into the compartment for a visit, pack till it's full far beyond capacity and weep with them, share with them my scanty bit of good fortune, tell them I care, tell them be patient, tell them I'm on their side …
—John Edgar Wideman, Harper's, December 2003
There's no sense being patient with people who make you wait, because they'll only make you wait longer the next time.
—Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
I hate having to stand in long lines. I'm just not very patient.
The teacher treated her students in a patient and understanding way.
“Aren't you finished yet?” “Be patient. I'll be done soon.”
Proofreading requires patient attention to detail.
They put in years of patient labor on the project.
Noun
Several patients were waiting to see the doctor.
the nurse asked the patient to change into a paper gown
Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
I pack them into the compartment for a visit, pack till it's full far beyond capacity and weep with them, share with them my scanty bit of good fortune, tell them I care, tell them be patient, tell them I'm on their side …
—John Edgar Wideman, Harper's, December 2003
There's no sense being patient with people who make you wait, because they'll only make you wait longer the next time.
—Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
I hate having to stand in long lines. I'm just not very patient.
The teacher treated her students in a patient and understanding way.
“Aren't you finished yet?” “Be patient. I'll be done soon.”
Proofreading requires patient attention to detail.
They put in years of patient labor on the project.
Noun
Several patients were waiting to see the doctor.
the nurse asked the patient to change into a paper gown
Recent Examples on the WebJonathan Wosen, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
Ask if a social worker or patient navigator can help arrange multiple appointments and tests on the same day to minimize travel.
—Judith Graham, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
No patient cards have been issued to residents outside of the state so far, Denman said.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
And Cooper’s a kind, patient, caring product of the Greatest Generation.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024
Mallets coax congas and toms in patient rhumba rhythms.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
As this ultimate of skin-tightening procedures — and the patient demographic getting them — evolves, Allure is exploring the phenomenon of the modern facelift in our new series, Want a Lift?
—Patricia Tortolani, Allure, 3 Apr. 2024
Be patient and consistent with your training efforts as improvements may take time.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
She was assigned to Ortega, who had already been the subject of patient complaints.
—Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
Months after Kaiser Permanente reached a sweeping agreement with state regulators to improve its mental health services, the healthcare giant is facing union allegations that patients could be improperly losing such care.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
In fact, a study done in 2019 found that some white medical students and residents believed that Black patients had higher pain tolerances than white patients.
—Dr. Sharon Malone, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Neuralink rival Synchron is recruiting patients for a large-scale clinical trial of its brain chip.
—Susan Howson, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Privacy is a big concern to both patients and hospital staff.
—Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024
The research team found that 24% of patients in the device group had complications, which included serious bleeding and the need for kidney therapy, compared to 6% in the control group.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
Some of his patients had turned to the black market.
—Casey Parks, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
About 62% of patients were hospitalized with the disease; only 29 cases were considered severe.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
But about half of cancer drugs approved via this route fail to improve patient survival or quality of life in subsequent clinical trials after more than five years of follow-up, according to new findings presented Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
Ask if a social worker or patient navigator can help arrange multiple appointments and tests on the same day to minimize travel.
—Judith Graham, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
No patient cards have been issued to residents outside of the state so far, Denman said.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
And Cooper’s a kind, patient, caring product of the Greatest Generation.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024
Mallets coax congas and toms in patient rhumba rhythms.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
As this ultimate of skin-tightening procedures — and the patient demographic getting them — evolves, Allure is exploring the phenomenon of the modern facelift in our new series, Want a Lift?
—Patricia Tortolani, Allure, 3 Apr. 2024
Be patient and consistent with your training efforts as improvements may take time.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
She was assigned to Ortega, who had already been the subject of patient complaints.
—Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
The attack compromised the personal information of more than 11 million patients.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
Months after Kaiser Permanente reached a sweeping agreement with state regulators to improve its mental health services, the healthcare giant is facing union allegations that patients could be improperly losing such care.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
In fact, a study done in 2019 found that some white medical students and residents believed that Black patients had higher pain tolerances than white patients.
—Dr. Sharon Malone, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Neuralink rival Synchron is recruiting patients for a large-scale clinical trial of its brain chip.
—Susan Howson, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Privacy is a big concern to both patients and hospital staff.
—Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024
The research team found that 24% of patients in the device group had complications, which included serious bleeding and the need for kidney therapy, compared to 6% in the control group.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
Some of his patients had turned to the black market.
—Casey Parks, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
About 62% of patients were hospitalized with the disease; only 29 cases were considered severe.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near patient
Cite this Entry
“Patient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patient. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patient
1 of 2 adjective
pa·tient
ˈpā-shənt 
1
: putting up with pains or hardships calmly or without complaint
2
: showing calm self-control
3
: not hasty or reckless
4
: steadfast sense 2, persevering
years of patient labor
patiently
adverb
patient
2 of 2 noun
: an individual awaiting or under medical care and treatment
Medical Definition
patient
noun
pa·tient
ˈpā-shənt
1
: a sick individual especially when awaiting or under the care and treatment of a physician or surgeon
the hospital is equipped to handle 500 patients
2
: a client for medical service (as of a physician or dentist)
a good practice with a large number of patients
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