1
as in blotches
a small area that is different (as in color) from the main part
a black cat with a small patch of white next to her nose
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in specks
a very small piece
a patch of land hardly big enough for a garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in repairs
to put into good shape or working order again
patch the tire and it'll be as good as new
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patches
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Common Blue Violet Those deep purple flower patches that popped up on your lawn are actually weeds.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026
According to the Mayo Clinic, Psoriasis is a long-term disease that causes itchy, scaly patches on the skin.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
This practice can reduce the need for manual patching, thereby cutting down on the dev team’s manpower required to constantly check for and implement patches.
—Felysha Walker, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Thinning grass, dry patches, heavy traffic, water puddles, and thick thatch are signs your lawn needs aeration.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 10 Apr. 2026
Honey bees live in large social colonies and are adept at capitalizing on high-quality patches of flowers, leading to the concern that this species in particular may have a rapid, outsized effect on native bees that share the same food.
—Andony Melathopoulos, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
Choose sustainable solutions, not quick, leaky patches.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
The post stitched together photos of Bible scripture, Paul crying, pain relief patches and personal notes scrawled through notebooks.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Flight controllers in Houston flipped their mission patches over to signify the return leg.
—Marcia Dunn, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
The spontaneity running through Da Realest patches over the mundane stretches.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
The orchestra shifts seamlessly among movie-music impressionism, brief minimalist pulsings, patches that sound like updated Gilbert and Sullivan, and heart-on-sleeve surges of voices and orchestra worthy of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
There's a massive shortage of estogren patches A shortage in estrogen patches — due to manufacturing issues and some brand discontinuation — has been exacerbated by an increase in prescriptions for estrogen since the Food and Drug Administration removed its black box warning label last fall.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Estradiol patches replenish the body’s estrogen.
—Marina Kopf, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
For both genders, the leather patches on the back of the jeans can be customized, a service the company also offers for its boots and hats.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
Eye patches the day of are a must.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
What started as a personal need turned into a four-year journey to develop adhesive eye patches and, eventually, a business.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
Common Blue Violet Those deep purple flower patches that popped up on your lawn are actually weeds.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026
According to the Mayo Clinic, Psoriasis is a long-term disease that causes itchy, scaly patches on the skin.
—Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
This practice can reduce the need for manual patching, thereby cutting down on the dev team’s manpower required to constantly check for and implement patches.
—Felysha Walker, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Thinning grass, dry patches, heavy traffic, water puddles, and thick thatch are signs your lawn needs aeration.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 10 Apr. 2026
Honey bees live in large social colonies and are adept at capitalizing on high-quality patches of flowers, leading to the concern that this species in particular may have a rapid, outsized effect on native bees that share the same food.
—Andony Melathopoulos, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
Choose sustainable solutions, not quick, leaky patches.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
The post stitched together photos of Bible scripture, Paul crying, pain relief patches and personal notes scrawled through notebooks.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
Candidate mission patches for the inaugural flight suggest that Mengzhou, which features a low-Earth orbit variant designed to carry six or seven astronauts and another to take three to low lunar orbit, could rendezvous with or fly alongside China’s Tiangong space station.
—Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026
Flight controllers in Houston flipped their mission patches over to signify the return leg.
—Marcia Dunn, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
The spontaneity running through Da Realest patches over the mundane stretches.
—Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
The orchestra shifts seamlessly among movie-music impressionism, brief minimalist pulsings, patches that sound like updated Gilbert and Sullivan, and heart-on-sleeve surges of voices and orchestra worthy of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
There's a massive shortage of estogren patches A shortage in estrogen patches — due to manufacturing issues and some brand discontinuation — has been exacerbated by an increase in prescriptions for estrogen since the Food and Drug Administration removed its black box warning label last fall.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Estradiol patches replenish the body’s estrogen.
—Marina Kopf, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
For both genders, the leather patches on the back of the jeans can be customized, a service the company also offers for its boots and hats.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 27 Jan. 2026
Eye patches the day of are a must.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patches
Noun
-
This was a black one with blotches faintly outlined in pale yellow, a beautiful but deadly looking animal.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The eggs vary in color—from white to blue to brown—with speckles, blotches, and other markings and are also distinctive in shape.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage, and seams.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Keep an eye out for tiny brown or orange specks, especially around door edges, undercarriage and seams.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One of the most expensive costs around Colorado is around housing, not just the cost of renting but also repairs.—
Mekialaya White,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
It's formulated with the label's game-changing Alpha Keratin 60KU, which nourishes the scalp, repairs damage, and reinforces hair strength.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Its design, crafted by Russell Sage Studio, is meant to be an on-the-nose reflection of the distillery's famed product, with bronzy walls the color of its single malt, and a ceiling painted to look like barley, reflecting the morning dew with flecks of gold throughout.—
Alessandra Amodio,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Berber carpet Berber is a type of loop pile carpet with flecks of color.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
About 80 times heavier than protons, W bosons are among the heaviest of nature’s fundamental particles, which can’t be broken down into smaller bits.—
Clara Moskowitz,
Scientific American,
10 Apr. 2026
-
There may be no documents in the libraries, but the trees hold bits and shards of this land’s collective memory.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
City leaders are opening a public pitch window to rethink the downtown complex, a move that could help decide whether the city fixes its aging home or starts fresh somewhere else.—
Devyani Chhetri,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This bill fixes that at zero cost to manufacturers.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The notation was curiously quaint, dots and curly tails swimming along like so many tadpoles.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
-
For over a decade now, voters have connected the dots between rising costs and what is happening in Annapolis.—
Randy Altschuler,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Take a room full of particles, for instance, where half of the particles are cold (low in kinetic energy, moving slowly, with a long timescale in between collisions) and half of the particles are hot (high in kinetic energy, moving rapidly, with short timescales separating successive collisions).—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
-
As free quarks cannot exist in isolation, quarks produced from the vacuum immediately combine into composite particles called hyperons.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Patches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patches. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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