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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
Craft North of Baku a semi-arid steppe climate embraces the Caspian Shoreline wine region, where patches of greenery resemble portions of the rolling countryside of County Wicklow in Ireland and where hazelnuts, cherries and apples grow. Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025 Shares are up more than 5% in 2025, but the stock has hit a rough patch in recent months, falling almost 18% in the past six. Sean Conlon, CNBC, 10 May 2025
Verb
Despite the real-life tension that will go on to define their 2025 feud, Flair and Stratton seemed to have patched things up backstage. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 The new rules had some bad side effects and now hopefully, those holes have been patched. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for patch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patch
Noun
  • This fungal disease causes yellow blotches on pumpkins, tomato leaves, squash and cucumbers.
    Clarence Schmidt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The butterflies themselves are nearly gone, but the ink has left three blotches down her arm.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Within the span of a few days, an innocuous speck can turn a loaf of bread from prime sandwich material into a hideous mass of blue-green fuzz—an appetite-killing sight if ever there was one.
    Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 May 2025
  • The dark speck near the bottom at the end of the line is Curiosity.
    Amanda Kooser, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The negative publicity surrounding layoffs can linger for years, creating lasting brand damage that's difficult to repair.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
  • According to a statement provided last year by Welsh through his attorney, Patrick Morris, the Postal Service for years violated its lease, which required it to maintain and repair the flooring at its own expense.
    Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2025
Noun
  • The Naugatuck train station is a small plexiglass box with a single bench, a lone dot in the expanse of the concrete parking lot, just across from the loading dock of a post office.
    Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
  • The black dot on your iPhone after upgrading to iOS 18.4 is not a bug at all.
    Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • Inflation eased to a four-year low Your wallet may feel a tiny bit of ease.
    Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • That promo bit was preceded by a series of surprise mini-concerts at other bars in Boston and Nashville, as well as a pop-in at Nashville’s Santa’s Pub with Noah Kahan for a short dual set and reconstruction the pop-up pub at the Coachella Festival.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • The incident may cost Coinbase up to $400 million to fix, the company estimated.
    Tanaya Macheel, CNBC, 15 May 2025
  • Became an even better version of himself by fixing his body to fix his mind.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • This nude lipstick shade has just a touch of warmth to it, plus gold flecks that catch the light for fuller-looking lips.
    Claire Sullivan, Footwear News, 6 May 2025
  • For all his flaws, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s willingness to speak openly about autism as a public health concern led some of us to find flecks of hope in his arrival as secretary of health and human services.
    Mark Kendall, Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Microplastics are small plastic particles that come from broken down plastics, according to a study in the National Library of Medicine.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 12 May 2025
  • Hydrolyzed marine collagen undergoes a process called enzymatic hydrolysis that breaks it down into even smaller particles called collagen peptides.
    Veronica Cristino, Vogue, 7 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Patch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patch. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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