American
[pach-wurk] / ˈpætʃˌwɜrk /
noun
-
patchworks
plural
adjective
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resembling a patchwork, especially in being makeshift, irregular, or improvised.
a patchwork policy of dispensing foreign aid.
verb (used with object)
-
to make as patchwork.
She specializes in patchworking skirts.
-
to assemble or connect in making patchwork.
to patchwork neckties into bedspreads.
patchwork British
/ ˈpætʃˌwɜːk /
noun
-
needlework done by sewing pieces of different materials together
-
something, such as a theory, made up of various parts
a patchwork of cribbed ideas
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Vocabulary lists containing patchwork
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
patchwork patchworks
Her mother, Avie Lee Parton, even made her daughter a new patchwork coat to put on display at the museum inside the Dollywood theme park in her home state of Tennessee.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The result is a patchwork of shadowed areas that can stay extremely cold, preserve water, and protect delicate molecules and potential microorganisms from damaging radiation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
The Padres acquired Robbie Ray and Casey Mize at the trade deadline to bolster a patchwork rotation, and they retained Miller and Adrian Morejon rather than break up a mighty bullpen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
On-site operations have been complicated by the fens' terrain -- a patchwork of heath, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
On a bunk under a patchwork coverlet lay a man whose white face was damp with sweat and whose eyes were glazed.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Lek’s paintings are so layered that they have been likened to quilts — rich patchworks that remind viewers how much more there is to see.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
Across the state, Marshall has documented the transformation of landscapes historically characterized by patchworks of saplings, mature trees, shrubs and meadows — all shaped by frequent, small fires.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
Bennie Herron’s expressionist style turns Black faces into complex patchworks embroidered with symbols.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2023
Scientists hope patchworks of multi-coloured crops will help hide them "in plain sight" from pests as a natural alternative to pesticides.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2022
All the Red Cross ladies were asking my opinion now for color combinations for the patchworks they were making to send to the soldiers.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.