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patch

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb patch contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of patch are mend, rebuild, and repair. While all these words mean "to put into good order something that is injured, damaged, or defective," patch implies an often temporary fixing of a hole or break with new material.

patch worn jeans

When can mend be used instead of patch?

While the synonyms mend and patch are close in meaning, mend implies making whole or sound something broken, torn, or injured.

mended the torn dress

When is it sensible to use rebuild instead of patch?

The words rebuild and patch are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rebuild suggests making like new without completely replacing.

a rebuilt automobile engine

When would repair be a good substitute for patch?

The meanings of repair and patch largely overlap; however, repair applies to the fixing of more extensive damage or dilapidation.

repaired the back steps

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of patch
Noun
Bare patches dotting an otherwise green lawn can be frustrating. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025 In May 2024, the pair hit a rough patch when the professional golfer filed for divorce from Stoll. Effie Orfanides, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
Instead of blindly patching across fleets of systems, the platform uses intelligence to highlight the vulnerabilities most likely to be exploited. Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Also, a slew of transfers have enabled the Golden Bears to patch holes in the depth chart, with tailback Kendrick Raphael (NC State), receiver Jacob De Jesus (UNLV), edge rusher TJ Bush (Liberty) and cornerback Hezekiah Masseson (Florida International) playing prominent roles. Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for patch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patch
Noun
  • This fungal disease appears as gray blotches on the bark, eventually developing into sunken cankers.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The belly is tan or gray with dark blotches.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Every splash of rain, speck of dust, or pinprick of light could mar the negative.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
  • On our table are a plate of thin-sliced speck, ham, and cheese, a dish with curls of homemade butter that look like tiny beehives, two pots of homemade strawberry and apricot jam, and a jar of golden honey from the farm bees.
    R29 Team, Refinery29, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Both as a technician responsible for inspecting, servicing and repairing motor transport equipment like tactical vehicles and as a vehicle recovery operator, responsible for bringing back armored vehicles in support of troop missions.
    Luis Martinez, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • If Nabers has surgery to repair his ACL, that 10-month window would put him back on the field either next July or August, just in time for training camp.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • During the dot com bubble at the turn of the 21st Century, telecom equipment makers such as Nortel, Lucent, and Cisco lent money to startups and telecom companies to purchase their equipment.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
  • But put all the dots on a page and a pattern emerges of a socio-religious movement using government to fight back against and control a media perceived as secular, liberal and anti-Republican.
    Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This handsome design can work in just about any room in your home and comes equipped with a little bit of drawer storage to discreetly hide any junk.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 3 Oct. 2025
  • But Maura never overdoes the feisty granny bit.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Vehicle owners are advised to park the vehicle outside and away from any structures and other vehicles until the recall is fixed.
    Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • So just fixing my diet, drinking a lot of water, stretching, moving every day, doing the right movements.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One blink, and it was gone again, just another fleck in the mulch.
    Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.
    Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The small, icy world is home to water-spouting geysers that spew vapor and ice particles into space – offering a tangible clue to its subsurface saltwater ocean.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Successful or not, the fact that alternatives exist at all suggests virtual particles might be useful fiction rather than physical truth.
    Dipangkar Dutta, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Patch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patch. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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