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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Weyman didn’t have long to prepare for the massive character milestone, but emphasized the importance of dialect to his portrayal of the Grey Wanderer.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
9 June 2025
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No More Officers often deal with documents in rare dialects, bad translations or messy handwriting.—
Raghu Para,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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District 3 Board Member Ann Maine, while in support of the assessment’s goal, questioned if different terminology could be used for the same result to avoid undue attention from the national level.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
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After all, ocean issues can involve sophisticated terminology that may make newcomers hesitant to follow along.—
Simi Thambi,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Zimbabwe and South Africa share in Rhodes a common ancestor; in Ndebele a language with a close connection to Zulu (the most spoken language in South Africa); and the common visual vocabulary sometimes called Ndebele art.—
Percy Zvomuya,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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Of note is the incorporation of vocabulary from Ivan’s archaic Norm language, a special touch that entranced me.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
1 June 2025
Noun
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The government's 2011 population census found that a little more than 10% of Indians fluently speak the language.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
8 June 2025
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Photosynthesis was such a profound development; so were eukaryotes, nervous systems and language.—
Philip Ball,
Wired News,
8 June 2025
Noun
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Today's teen slang might seem like complete gibberish, but you may be surprised by how many terms echo phrases from the past.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
3 June 2025
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This translates as: The banlieues influence Paris and Paris influences the world (Paname is French slang for the city).—
Tomás Hill López-Menchero,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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