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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Studies have found regional dialects of birds’ songs and evidence that some birds learn songs from their parents while still in the shell.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Oct. 2025
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For Minha, the biggest challenge was mastering the North Korean dialect.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The guidelines contain specific terminology and targets for calories and nutrients that guide federal food aid for mothers and infants, free school lunches and what's served at military bases and in federal prisons.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
8 Oct. 2025
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Which means that their terminology won't disappear anytime soon.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Oct. 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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What other slang does Gen Alpha use?—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Oct. 2025
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Parents and educators need to learn language used online Online teens often use slang, symbols and slogans that adults may not understand to refer to white supremacy, antisemitism and mass shootings.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.
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