plural patois
ˈpa-ˌtwäz 
ˈpä-
1
a
: a dialect other than the standard or literary dialect
b
: uneducated or provincial speech
2
: the characteristic special language of an occupational or social group : jargon
Synonyms
Examples of patois in a Sentence
the medical patois that the hospital staffers used among themselves was incomprehensible to me
Recent Examples on the Web
Peddlers greet customers in Belize’s official language, English, or Kriol, the patois formed centuries ago when Britons brought enslaved Africans to what is now Belize.
—
Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
These individuals’ diverse languages melded together, and a distinctive patois and culture started to emerge.
—Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
Gillis, playing an Ohio Catholic dad who drags his family to church while vacationing in Jamaica, catches the spirit (and a pretty decent patois) and the whole sketch ends with a literal crossing of the aisle as the white tourist family jams alongside the Jamaican congregation.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2024
He’s got the Jamaican patois down, at times so well that the movie could have used subtitles.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Cloud spoke in a quarter-time cadence, a patois of enduring patience.
—Niela Orr, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Young women posted viral TikToks about what might have, depending on one’s demographic patois, been termed a charcuterie board (millennial), a Ploughman’s (Brit) or a lunchable (Oscar Mayer).
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
Peaky Blinders actor Kingsley Ben-Adir dons dreadlocks and speaks in a Jamaican patois to play a reggae legend in the latest trailer for Bob Marley: One Love, which dropped Tuesday.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2023
The series nods to the Chinglish patois spoken in Chinatown, where words that have hard stops are pronounced instead with tones held as connective filler, the tenors of which can be expressions on their own.
—Jasper Lo, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023
Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
These individuals’ diverse languages melded together, and a distinctive patois and culture started to emerge.
—Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
Gillis, playing an Ohio Catholic dad who drags his family to church while vacationing in Jamaica, catches the spirit (and a pretty decent patois) and the whole sketch ends with a literal crossing of the aisle as the white tourist family jams alongside the Jamaican congregation.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2024
He’s got the Jamaican patois down, at times so well that the movie could have used subtitles.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Cloud spoke in a quarter-time cadence, a patois of enduring patience.
—Niela Orr, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Young women posted viral TikToks about what might have, depending on one’s demographic patois, been termed a charcuterie board (millennial), a Ploughman’s (Brit) or a lunchable (Oscar Mayer).
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
Peaky Blinders actor Kingsley Ben-Adir dons dreadlocks and speaks in a Jamaican patois to play a reggae legend in the latest trailer for Bob Marley: One Love, which dropped Tuesday.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2023
The series nods to the Chinglish patois spoken in Chinatown, where words that have hard stops are pronounced instead with tones held as connective filler, the tenors of which can be expressions on their own.
—Jasper Lo, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patois.' 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 patois
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patois. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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