patchwork

noun, often attributive

patch·work | \ ˈpach-ˌwərk

Definition of patchwork

1 : something composed of miscellaneous or incongruous parts : hodgepodge

2 : pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together to form a covering also : something resembling such a covering a patchwork of fields

Synonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing patchwork Learn More About patchwork

Examples of patchwork in a Sentence

The valley is a patchwork of family farms. A patchwork of laws prevent the land from being developed. a patchwork system of laws

Recent Examples on the Web The result is a small-scale, uneven patchwork of tutoring programs that falls far short of the broad effort that experts say would be needed to make a major dent in student learning loss statewide. — Koby Levin And Isabel Lohman, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2022 Their chieftains then fought over a patchwork of territories in what is now Ukraine, Belarus, and the northeast of Russia—with Kyiv always as the prize. — Timothy Snyder, The New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2022 Others are more subtle, like a fabric that incorporates imagery of Haitian gingerbread houses, or patchwork (a Desigual signature) inspired by Spain. — Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 21 Apr. 2022 The restrictions are instead a patchwork enacted by individual countries—with different capitals having imposed restrictions of varying severity. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2022 Tens of thousands of acres from Macon to Robins Air Force Base south to Hawkinsville have been protected through a patchwork of hunting clubs, state wildlife management areas and the Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. — Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2022 Instead, its distribution is patchwork — uneven and variable. — NBC News, 4 Feb. 2022 The Angashion patchwork sweater from Amazon incorporates an animal design and print along the sleeves, with varying designs that feature spots, stripes, and more. — Lauren Rearick, PEOPLE.com, 20 Jan. 2022 As lawmakers passed increasingly stringent regulations in the decades after Roe, protesters grew more emboldened, and Mississippi was left with a patchwork of doctors, most of whom wound up in trouble with the law. — Caroline Kitchener And Casey Parks, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Dec. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'patchwork.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.