patchwork
Americannoun
adjective
verb (used with object)
-
to make as patchwork.
She specializes in patchworking skirts.
-
to assemble or connect in making patchwork.
to patchwork neckties into bedspreads.
noun
-
needlework done by sewing pieces of different materials together
-
something, such as a theory, made up of various parts
a patchwork of cribbed ideas
Other Word Forms
- patchworky adjective
Etymology
Origin of patchwork
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These patchwork visions have a restrained, contemplative air that carefully weighs the seriousness of their themes without ever dipping into melodrama or titillation.
My room lit up, so bright I could see the stitches in the patchwork of the quilt on my bed.
From Literature
EU-Swiss ties are currently governed by a patchwork of agreements, and the two have for years been striving to nail down a broader cooperation agreement.
From Barron's
Meanwhile, a complex patchwork system of more specific tariffs - which target American imports of certain goods, or imports from certain countries - remains in place.
From BBC
Court of International Trade protective actions “have a clear path through court-ordered reliquidation,” but the “vast majority who did not face a patchwork of procedural options.”
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
