as in dialect
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
the medical patois that the hospital staffers used among themselves was incomprehensible to me
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patois
Elliott spits her verses in patois, freeing up space on the track for the drums to get some before Cartel and M.I.A. slide through.
41.
—
Steven J. Horowitz, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
And so there’s West Indian patois and language and music and food.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
There are countless examples like these, in which English scaffolding has adapted to the demands and the cultural heritage of its speakers, from Jamaican patois to Tok Pisin, of New Guinea.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Instead, viewers are immersed in Millie’s Kingston, with dialogue spoken almost entirely in Jamaican patois, where opportunities are limited, gang violence persists and whiteness is still put on a pedestal.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for patois
Steven J. Horowitz, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
And so there’s West Indian patois and language and music and food.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
There are countless examples like these, in which English scaffolding has adapted to the demands and the cultural heritage of its speakers, from Jamaican patois to Tok Pisin, of New Guinea.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Instead, viewers are immersed in Millie’s Kingston, with dialogue spoken almost entirely in Jamaican patois, where opportunities are limited, gang violence persists and whiteness is still put on a pedestal.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for patois
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patois
Noun
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For Minha, the biggest challenge was mastering the North Korean dialect.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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Day-one fans of Taylor Swift know that the pop superstar has come a long way since launching her music career as a country singer — and that evolution is apparent in her dialect, according to speech scientists.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In Marx’s terminology, this is a form of capital fetishism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
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That terminology has always bothered me.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This combo with a strong development on each RTW category, shoes and bags, widened the vocabulary for the brand, staying tuned to their young audience.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
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No visual or symbolic vocabulary ever develops.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Feller told Al Jazeera that Chinese employers would have to accommodate non-Mandarin speakers by offering English-language positions and improve work-life balance.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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One of the most prominent Mexican actresses of her generation, Notni led Amazon MGM’s 2024 reboot of Zorro and recently wrapped Day One, a Spanish-language Amazon series which releases later this year.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But there’s a whole lot of other slang spoken around here.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
8 Sep. 2025
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But first, the deeper history and roots of certain slang terms A number of phrases that are labeled as Gen Z lingo or internet slang today are derived from Black and drag cultures.—
Mia Thurow,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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