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
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
Casting themselves as high priests of pop culture, the duo encapsulated gay-millennial preoccupations and patois.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for patois
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
Casting themselves as high priests of pop culture, the duo encapsulated gay-millennial preoccupations and patois.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for patois
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patois
Noun
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While over 20 dialects are spoken in Liberia, English is the official language of the country.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
10 July 2025
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Look for loot and get a glimpse of life in the historic Marolles district south of the city center, once famous for the increasingly rare local dialect, Brusseleer, a.k.a.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Noun
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The terminology was familiar to locals when trying to sniff out stray Mancs around football matches and the crowd loved it — although one of them scaled a 260ft floodlight and refused to come down as the anthemic bass from Loose Fit’s opening chords followed.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
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There’s little turnover in terminology, or in culture.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
7 July 2025
Noun
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There’s almost a template to the Lexington format and a distinctive vocabulary too.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
23 July 2025
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So, in the case of La Tête d’Or, [chef] Daniel [Boulud] had this ambition to create something that was kind of a grand New York steakhouse but with a French influence, which led to a more refined vocabulary, and that led to wanting to elevate the cooking to be on display.—
Sofia Perez,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Barring any specific language in the Wilkins contract, the Raiders will have an uphill battle to fight.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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But their language echoes the same arguments about unfair trade, deficits and national security that Trump invoked during his reciprocal tariff rollout.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
26 July 2025
Noun
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The use of technology is overdone, the slang is annoying and the characters seem unlikable.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
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Crashing out is a slang term used to negatively describe emotional overload or emotional dysregulation that presents as sudden, angry, frustrated, or distressing emotional outbursts or behaviors.—
Angelica Bottaro,
Verywell Health,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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