patent

1 of 3

adjective

pat·​ent

senses 1–3 are

ˈpa-tᵊnt 

 chiefly British  ˈpā-;

 sense 4  ˈpā-;

 sense 5  ˈpā-,

ˈpa-;

 senses 6–7  ˈpa-,

ˈpā-,

British usually

ˈpā- 

1

a

: open to public inspection

—used chiefly in the phrase letters patent

b(1)

: secured by letters patent or by a patent to the exclusive control and possession of a particular individual or party

patent foodstuffs have acquired an ever-increasing importance

—Friedel Strauss

(2)

: protected by a patent : made under a patent

patent locks

a patent coffee maker

c

: protected by a trademark or a brand name so as to establish proprietary rights analogous to those conveyed by letters patent or a patent : proprietary

patent drugs

2

: of, relating to, or concerned with the granting of patents especially for inventions

a patent lawyer

patent law

3

: making exclusive or proprietary claims or pretensions

peddled his patent notions in season and out

4

: affording free passage : unobstructed

a patent opening

5

: patulous, spreading

a patent calyx

6

archaic : accessible, exposed

7

: readily visible or intelligible : obvious

his patent sincerity

a patent falsehood

patently adverb

patent

2 of 3

noun

pat·​ent ˈpa-tᵊnt 

British also

ˈpā- 

1

: an official document conferring a right or privilege : letters patent

2

a

: a writing securing for a term of years the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention

b

: the monopoly or right so granted

c

: a patented invention

3

: privilege, license

4

: an instrument making a conveyance of public lands

also : the land so conveyed

5

: patent leather

patent

3 of 3

verb

pat·​ent ˈpa-tᵊnt 

British also

ˈpā- 

patented; patenting; patents

transitive verb

1

: to obtain or grant a patent right to

2

: to grant a privilege, right, or license to by patent

3

: to obtain or secure by patent

especially : to secure by letters patent exclusive right to make, use, or sell

patentability

ˌpa-tᵊn-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

 British also  ˌpā-

noun

patentable

ˈpa-tᵊn-tə-bəl 

 British also  ˈpā-

adjective

Synonyms

Adjective

• obvious
• apparent
• evident
• unmistakable
• clear
• straightforward
• distinct
• broad

Choose the Right Synonym for patent

evident, manifest, patent, distinct, obvious, apparent, plain, clear mean readily perceived or apprehended.

evident implies presence of visible signs that lead one to a definite conclusion.

an evident fondness for sweets

manifest implies an external display so evident that little or no inference is required.

manifest hostility

patent applies to a cause, effect, or significant feature that is clear and unmistakable once attention has been directed to it.

patent defects

distinct implies such sharpness of outline or definition that no unusual effort to see or hear or comprehend is required.

a distinct refusal

obvious implies such ease in discovering that it often suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer.

the obvious solution

apparent is very close to evident except that it may imply more conscious exercise of inference.

for no apparent reason

plain suggests lack of intricacy, complexity, or elaboration.

her feelings about him are plain

clear implies an absence of anything that confuses the mind or obscures the pattern.

a clear explanation

Examples of patent in a Sentence

Adjective

The company settled a patent dispute last year.

the licensing of patent rights

They were sued for patent infringement.

His explanation turned out to be a patent lie.

She acted with patent disregard for the rules.

Noun

The product is protected by patent.

Verb

The product was patented by its inventor.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The caveat that Edison filed in 1890 was the latest in a long line of pre-patent applications. —Nat Segnit, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Mar. 2022

Tech companies file patent infringement lawsuits all the time — BlackBerry just sued Facebook for patent infringement last week. —Kurt Wagner, Recode, 17 Mar. 2018

Noun

The academics also found that LGBTQ-friendly firms demonstrated an almost 25 percent increase in the number of patent citations, which is broadly considered an indication of how other companies value the innovativeness of a particular patent. —Josie Cox, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

These include a procedure for a stoma opening and reversal on her bowel for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), heart surgery for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), bronchoscopies and tracheostomy procedures on her airway. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025

Verb

Other crucial plot developments have involved the reveal that a French chef wasn’t actually French, a plucky servant’s attempts to patent an alarm clock, and Agnes’s dramatic decision to cross the street in order to speak to the Russells in person. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 June 2025

It’s thought they were first used by Thomas Jefferson after the device was patented in 1803. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 5 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin patent-, patens, from present participle of patēre to be open — more at fathom

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing patent

• letters patent
• patent flour
• patent leather
• patent medicine
• patent office
• patent right
• take out a patent on

Rhymes for patent

• combatant
• noncombatant
• supernatant

Kids Definition

patent

1 of 3 adjective

pat·​ent

sense 1 is

ˈpat-ᵊnt 

sense 2 is

ˈpāt- 

ˈpat-

1

a

: protected by a patent

b

: of, relating to, or concerned with patents

a patent lawyer

c

: proprietary entry 2 sense 2

a patent can opener

2

: plain entry 2 sense 4a, obvious

a patent lie

patently adverb

patent

2 of 3 noun

pat·​ent ˈpat-ᵊnt 

1

: an official document granting a right or privilege

especially : a writing granting to an inventor for a term of years the only right to make, use, or sell his or her invention

2

: the right granted by a patent

patent

3 of 3 verb

pat·​ent ˈpat-ᵊnt 

: to protect by patent

patentable

ˈpat-ᵊn-tə-bəl 

adjective

Medical Definition

patent

adjective

pa·​tent

ˈpat-ᵊnt, British usually ˈpāt-

1

: protected by a trademark or a trade name so as to establish proprietary rights analogous to those conveyed by a patent : proprietary

patent drugs

2

ˈpāt-

: affording free passage : being open and unobstructed

the nose patent with no pathological discharge

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

Legal Definition

patent

1 of 3 adjective

pat·​ent ˈpat-ᵊnt, 3 also ˈpāt- 

1

a

: open to public inspection see also letters patent at letter sense 2

b

: secured or protected by a patent

a nonexclusive patent license to produce and sell the product

sought to enforce her patent rights against infringement

2

: of, relating to, or concerned with the granting of patents especially for inventions

a patent lawyer

involved in patent litigation

3

: readily seen, discovered, or understood

a patent defect

if no bad faith or abuse is patent

compare latent

patently adverb

patent

2 of 3 noun

pat·​ent ˈpat-ᵊnt 

1

: an official document conferring a right or privilege : letters patent at letter 2

2

a

: the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention or products made by an invented process that is granted to an inventor and his or her heirs or assigns for a term of years see also intellectual property at property compare copyright, trademark

Note: A patent may be granted for a process, act, or method that is new, useful, and not obvious, for a new use of a known process, machine, or composition of matter or material, as well as for an asexually reproduced distinct and new variety of plant (excluding one propagated from a tuber), and for any new, original, and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Design patents are issued for a term of 14 years. Patents issuing on applications made after June 8, 1995, for basic or plant patents (excluding design patents) are for a term of 20 years from the date of application. An inventor can file a provisional patent application, which requires less documentation and lower fees than a regular application, before reducing the invention to practice. This allows the inventor to claim “patent pending” status for the invention and to establish an earlier filing date and priority of the invention. A regular patent application must be made within a year of the provisional application or it will expire. Patents are considered personal property and may be sold, assigned, or otherwise transferred. Under common law, if a patented invention or discovery is made while the inventor is working for a company, and is made on company time with company facilities and materials, the employer receives an irrevocable, nonassignable, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use it. Often an employee is required contractually to assign his or her patent to the employer.

b

: the writing securing such a right

received his patent in the mail

c

: a patented invention

all substantial rights to a patent

—Internal Revenue Code

3

: an instrument making a conveyance of public lands

to issue a patent to each of said Indians for the village or town lot occupied by him

—U.S. Code

see also fee patent at fee sense 1

patent

3 of 3 transitive verb

pat·​ent

: to obtain or grant a right to (something) by a patent

the land was patented to the railroad

specifically : to protect the rights to (an invention) by a patent

printed matter cannot be patented

Etymology

Adjective

Anglo-French, from Latin patent-, patens, from present participle of patēre to be open