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.