PATCH


Meaning of PATCH in English

I. patch 1 /pætʃ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Perhaps from Old French pieche 'piece' ]

1 . PART OF AN AREA a small area of something that is different from the area around it

patch of

We finally found a patch of grass to sit down on.

Belinda watched a patch of sunlight move slowly across the wall.

Look out for icy patches on the road.

a cat with a white patch on its chest

He combs his hair over his bald patch.

2 . OVER A HOLE a small piece of material that is sewn on something to cover a hole in it:

a jacket with leather patches at the elbows

3 . FOR GROWING SOMETHING a small area of ground for growing fruit or vegetables:

a strawberry patch

4 . COMPUTER a small computer program that is added to software to solve problems

5 . EYE a piece of material that you wear over your eye to protect it when it has been hurt:

He had a black patch over one eye.

6 . DECORATION American English a small piece of cloth with words or pictures on it that you can sew onto clothes SYN badge British English

7 . a bad/difficult/sticky/rough patch informal a period of time when you are having a lot of difficulty:

Gemma’s going through a bad patch right now.

8 . sb’s patch British English informal an area that someone knows very well because they work or live there SYN turf :

Policemen know what’s going on in their home patch.

9 . not be a patch on somebody/something British English informal to be much less attractive, good etc than something or someone else:

The second film isn’t a patch on the first.

• • •

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + patch

▪ a small/large etc patch

Some of the hills still had small patches of snow.

▪ a white/black/red etc patch

The bird has a large black patch on each side of its neck.

▪ a damp/wet patch

There were damp patches on the ceilings.

▪ a bald patch

He stroked the bald patch on the back of his head .

▪ a dark patch

She noticed two dark patches on the sleeve of his shirt.

▪ a clear patch

Clear patches of brilliant blue sky appeared briefly through the white storm clouds.

▪ a bright patch

Poppies and daisies provided bright patches of colour along the edge of the field.

▪ icy patches (=on a road)

Some icy patches are likely on roads as temperatures drop tonight.

▪ fog patches

There'll be a widespread frost with mist and one or two fog patches

II. patch 2 BrE AmE ( also patch up ) verb [transitive + with]

to repair a hole in something by putting a piece of something else over it

patch something ↔ together phrasal verb

to make something quickly or carelessly from a number of different pieces or ideas:

A new plan was quickly patched together.

patch something/somebody ↔ up phrasal verb

1 . to end an argument because you want to stay friendly with someone:

Try to patch up your differences before he leaves.

patch it/things up (with somebody)

He went back to patch things up with his wife.

2 . to repair a hole in something by putting a piece of something else over it:

We’ll have to patch up the hole in the roof.

3 . to give quick and basic medical treatment to someone who is hurt:

We patched up the wounded as best we could.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.