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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of patois
During a sketch set in a Caribbean church, comedian and first-time Saturday Night Live host Shane Gillis speaks confidently in Jamaican patois — generally a no-no for a white guy these days.
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Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2024
Most of Levy's stories run fewer than 12 pages and feel like very long flash fiction, written in a voice dense with the chaotic patois of the internet.
—Leland Cheuk, NPR, 14 May 2024
One complaint was Jar Jar’s accent, which some perceived as derived from Jamaican patois.
—Carlos Aguilar, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Peddlers greet customers in Belize’s official language, English, or Kriol, the patois formed centuries ago when Britons brought enslaved Africans to what is now Belize.
—Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for patois 
Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2024
Most of Levy's stories run fewer than 12 pages and feel like very long flash fiction, written in a voice dense with the chaotic patois of the internet.
—Leland Cheuk, NPR, 14 May 2024
One complaint was Jar Jar’s accent, which some perceived as derived from Jamaican patois.
—Carlos Aguilar, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Peddlers greet customers in Belize’s official language, English, or Kriol, the patois formed centuries ago when Britons brought enslaved Africans to what is now Belize.
—Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for patois
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patois
Noun
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The body of water first showed up on European maps in the 1500s and has had at least 32 names in different languages and dialects throughout the years.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
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Much of the driving dialogue is in Irish, and most importantly, in the Ulster dialect.Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The situation was, to use Kraft’s terminology this week, untenable.Chad Graff, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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Judge John Robert Blakey held a charge conference for attorneys on Jan. 2, when prosecutors and the defense teams discussed terminology used in the indictment.Jim Talamonti | The Center Square contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Gone will be the complex vocabulary that has often kept these issues in the hands of technical teams.Andrew Fingerman, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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At Notre Dame, the Irish use similar vocabulary and techniques on defense and special teams.Matt Baker, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Lighting too forms a kind of architectural language, with track fixtures, uplights, and Ingo Maurer icons casting a calm collective glow.Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 15 Jan. 2025
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Some 240 people work there in various tech startups, AI incubators and food science labs, conducting research and business in at least 14 languages.Ann Abel, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Anchored by Hailee Steinfeld’s charmingly sly title performance, the series cleverly enmeshes Dickinson’s indelible poetry with everyday frustrations (parents, crushes), world-historical occasions (the Civil War) and thoroughly modern slang.Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2025
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Both the real and digital worlds are constantly evolving, and Gen Alpha (and the generations after them) will continue to bring in their own slang and cultural references, which often leave older generations feeling out of the loop.Gilda D'Incerti, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near patois
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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