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
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Rolling back the terminology means reprinting guidance, rewriting websites, and retraining staff—all at a time when health budgets have tightened.—
Dr. Nikki Romanik,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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The same applies to some of the terminology, such as the Lake Erie Renewable Energy Resilience Project.—
Craig Rucker,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Experts at Scholastic say such books help kids gain the vocabulary to describe their feelings, improve self-awareness, and learn strategies for handling negative emotions.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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White-collar workers in China have developed their own vocabulary for this malaise.—
Lavender Au,
The Dial,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That could be something as simple as making sure the Care for All resources are in every language, through to adapting the charity partners the company works with.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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Does this language feel robust enough?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 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 9 Oct. 2025.
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