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
But perhaps the most evident connection is a sense of individuality that’s preserved in the pockets of patois spoken across both the island and the bayou—the French Creole dialect is still alive and doing very well.
—
Essence, 20 June 2024
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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for patois
Essence, 20 June 2024
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.
—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
See All Example Sentences for patois
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patois
Noun
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The interview was conducted in a mixture of English and Low German, a dialect widely spoken within the Christian Mennonite community.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
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While Zubac is from Croatia and Bogdanovic is Serbian, their native Balkan language is the same but spoken with different dialects.—
Janis Carr,
Orange County Register,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This can hamper an enterprise’s ability to differentiate its services, particularly when specialized tasks or industry-specific terminology are involved.—
Eli David,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
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Sailing lessons: Learn basic sailing skills and terminology from the instructors of the Central Florida Community Sailing Program during this six-session class.—
Joe Rassel,
Orlando Sentinel,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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English speakers also adapted vocabulary from the Vikings.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
11 Mar. 2025
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One minor but effective way to sound more assertive is to nix hedging language from your vocabulary, Barbara Shabazz, PsyD, clinical psychologist based in Virginia Beach, tells SELF.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Users will be able to create their AI Twin in a few minutes by taking a selfie and talking for a few minutes introducing themselves and an AI Twin of them is created that can talk, chat, and sound just like them and can talk in 32 languages.—
Elizabeth Stanton,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Martin’s shows look and sound for the most part like any other cable news roundtable shows – except for the salty language.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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An article in the Wall Street Journal outlines Generation Beta’s dilemma: In current teen slang—used by Generation Alpha—calling someone a beta isn’t exactly a compliment.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2025
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The topics range from decoding teenage slang to the viral generation challenge.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
20 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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