Thesaurus results for PATOIS

patois

noun

ˈpa-ˌtwä

Definition of patois

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 patois That’s for sure when people speak patois, a vernacular version of English that’s based on a culture’s intonation. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 4 June 2026 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

Joseph Hill, the director of the Center for Black Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, asserted that BASL is generally treated as more of a dialect than a language.

— New York Times, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
The reality, of course, is that the Southern accent is not some incorrect version of a national standard but instead a historically separate and unique dialect – or, more accurately, set of dialects.

— Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of dialect

Noun

Tobias Gehrke, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the disagreement over terminology was unlikely to derail closer cooperation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026
On screen, a third season of Monarch would likely feature new Titans — the Monsterverse terminology for the likes of Godzilla, King Kong and other giant monsters.

— Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of terminology

Noun

The language of the legislation that passed the House calls for an immediate adoption of year-round daylight saving time by rewriting a federal law that sets time across the country.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Chanting in multiple languages filled the room and reverberated all around, the voices of the cantors at the kliros blending with the voices of the collective.

— Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of language

Noun

There’s a level of seriousness that belies the 90-minute comedy film he’s made, which features an imbecilic white rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang and a contraption that shoots bullets out of one’s rear end.

— Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
McCaffrey and the 49ers will return to the United States after their win and lesson in Australian slang to play the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026