1
: a light blow especially with the hand or a flat instrument
2
: a light tapping often rhythmical sound
3
: something (such as butter) shaped into a small flat usually square individual portion
patted; patting
1
: to strike lightly with a flat instrument
2
: to flatten, smooth, or put into place or shape with light blows
3
: to tap or stroke gently with the hand to soothe, caress, or show approval
: to strike or beat gently
patent
point after touchdown
Synonyms
Adverb
Verb
Adjective
- adamant
- adamantine
- bullheaded
- dogged
- hard
- hard-nosed
- hardened
- hardheaded
- headstrong
- immovable
- implacable
- inconvincible
- inflexible
- intransigent
- mulish
- obdurate
- obstinate
- opinionated
- ossified
- pertinacious
- perverse
- pigheaded
- self-opinionated
- self-willed
- stiff-necked
- stubborn
- unbending
- uncompromising
- unrelenting
- unyielding
- willful
- wilful
Examples of pat in a Sentence
Noun
She gave the dog a quick pat.
Adverb
after months of practicing for the competition, the cheerleaders have their moves down pat
Verb
The child gently patted the dog's head.
He patted my knee and told me everything would be fine.
He patted his hair down.
She patted the dough into a square.
He patted the lettuce dry with a paper towel.
Adjective
The movie's pat ending was a disappointment.
His explanation was too pat to be believable.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 16 June 2024
Each of the cast members offer up a delightfully fancy blend of sound, a collection of principal performers tasked with interpreting each of Sondheim’s many observations on what makes our hearts go pitter pat, but also, kaput.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024
Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, 21 Apr. 2020
To use, soak the disc about 15 minutes, pat dry, and snap in place.
—Jean Kressy, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2019
Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 14 June 2024
Pro tip: To prepare your basil for this recipe, rinse the leaves and pat them dry.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2024
Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
The balance changes from story to story, and sometimes the genre conventions feel too pat, as genre conventions will.
—Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for pat 
Noun
In the early, bleary days of parenthood, I was congratulated for relaying the vaguest details of my son’s whereabouts and received pats on the back for explaining the origin of his name.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 16 June 2024
Each of the cast members offer up a delightfully fancy blend of sound, a collection of principal performers tasked with interpreting each of Sondheim’s many observations on what makes our hearts go pitter pat, but also, kaput.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 13 June 2024
Adverb
The 2016 draft was the last time the Bengals stayed pat through all seven rounds.
—Tyler Dragon, Cincinnati.com, 21 Apr. 2020
To use, soak the disc about 15 minutes, pat dry, and snap in place.
—Jean Kressy, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2019
Verb
During the game, Shawna Mannon patted Cordova’s mother on the back.
—Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 14 June 2024
Pro tip: To prepare your basil for this recipe, rinse the leaves and pat them dry.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2024
Adjective
But while the message is pat, the way it’s presented is poignant, thanks to an arresting lead performance from Gong, who manages a tricky balance of chilliness and charm.
—Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2023
The balance changes from story to story, and sometimes the genre conventions feel too pat, as genre conventions will.
—Noah Berlatsky, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for pat
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pat
Cite this Entry
“Pat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pat
1 of 3 noun1
: a light blow especially with the hand or a flat instrument
2
: a light tapping sound
3
: something (as butter) shaped into a small flat portion
pat
2 of 3 verb
patted; patting
1
: to strike lightly with the hand or a flat instrument : strike or beat gently
2
: to flatten, smooth, or shape with pats
3
: to tap or stroke gently with the hand to soothe or to show affection or approval
pat
3 of 3 adjective
patter; pattest
2
: learned exactly
have a lesson down pat
3
: firm entry 1 sense 2b, unyielding
stand pat
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