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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There’s no universal language—only tribal dialects.—
Shekar Natarajan,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Because the characters are speaking a very distinctive local dialect, and that’s, of course, completely lost in translation.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2025
Noun
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While the terminology might not be scientific, there’s ample research that lends support to the idea as a whole.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
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Working on a film or television set is no different, in fact, often the most experienced players in these environments are recognized by their use of such terminology.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Fans of Harry Potter books, films will likely recognize the setting, vocabulary, characters at Epic Universe.—
Samantha Neely,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Who wants their grandchildren to emulate such limited vocabulary, negative language and divisive rhetoric?—
Christine Ledbetter,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Previously, pro-Kremlin trolls had been notably restrained in commenting on Trump, using neutral or careful language, Agentstvo reported.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
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This platform uses rigorous standardization protocols, like OMB guidelines for demographics and ISO codes for language, ensuring consistency.—
Raghvendra Tripathi,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Look into the slang and jargon your kids are using — a few of them can be linked to specific online spaces, or even to certain ideologies.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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The linguistic features of Gen Alpha slang are heavily shaped by digital culture.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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