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patois

[pat-wah, pah-twah, pa-twa] / ˈpæt wɑ, ˈpɑ twɑ, paˈtwa /
NOUN
jargon
Synonyms
Antonyms
STRONGEST


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.

Bulgarian singer Dara has the night's best staging on Bangaranga - a nonsensical typhoon of tropical pop, based around a word from Jamaican patois that means "a joyful kind of disorder".

From BBC • May 15, 2026

To hear Judith Light, Jessica Hecht, Linda Lavin, Peter Frechette, Slattery or Whitford converse in this heightened theatrical patois was to become instantly spellbound.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025

The patois changes from office to office and company to company, and the meanings behind certain terms shift from person to person.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025

For Green, one of the biggest challenges of a film like “One Love” was getting the patois language right and making it feel real without watering it down.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

He had a funny new accent that was more lilt and twang than patois.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon




Vocabulary lists containing patois


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