From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_251_epatternpat‧tern1 /ˈpætən $ ˈpætərn/ ●●● S2 W1 noun [countable] 1 REGULARthe regular way in which something happens, develops, or is done Weather patterns have changed in recent years.pattern of changing patterns of behaviour among students The child showed a normal pattern of development.pattern in They noticed patterns in the data. A general pattern began to emerge. Their descriptions seemed to follow a set pattern (=always develop in the same way). His behavior fits a pattern of violent acts.2 a) ALCa regularly repeated arrangement of shapes, colours, or lines on a surface, usually as decoration a black and white striped patternpattern of a pattern of dots b) Aa regularly repeated arrangement of sounds or words A sonnet has a fixed rhyming pattern.3 [usually singular]EXAMPLE a thing, idea, or person that is an example to copy The book set the pattern for over 40 similar historical romances.4 DLHa shape used as a guide for making something, especially a thin piece of paper used when cutting material to make clothes a dress pattern5 DTIMa small piece of cloth, paper etc that shows what a larger piece will look like SYN sampleCOLLOCATIONSphrasesa pattern of behaviourIt's easy to get stuck in the same old pattern of behaviour.a pattern of developmentRegular checks help to ensure that the child is following the normal pattern of developmentADJECTIVES/NOUN + patternthe same/a similar patternEach of the murders has followed a similar pattern.a different patternThere are different patterns of social life in urban areas.the basic patternThe basic pattern of her working day rarely changed.the general patternThe general pattern of change has been one of upward mobility.the normal/usual patternAs soon as she could, she resumed the normal pattern of her life.a set/fixed pattern (=one that does not change)These incidents followed a set pattern.a weather patternRising global temperatures are affecting weather patterns.a behaviour patternHe studied animal behaviour patterns.a sleep patternDisturbed sleep patterns may be a symptom of depression.a speech patternComputers are now able to produce acceptable speech patterns.a spending patternThe bank’s computer can detect unusual spending patterns.verbsa pattern emerges (=can be seen when something is studied)Although the numbers are small, a pattern began to emerge.follow a patternHer headaches did not seem to follow any particular pattern.fit a pattern (also conform to a pattern formal) (=match a particular pattern)Last week’s bombing fits this pattern.establish a patternYou should try to establish a pattern of working that suits you. THESAURUSpattern a regularly repeated arrangement of shapes, colours, or lines on a surfaceSome of his pictures use patterns of dots.The lines formed a regular pattern.design a pattern used for decorating something, especially cloth or papercurtains with a floral design (=based on flowers)markings the coloured patterns and shapes on an animal’s fur, feathers, or skinthe tiger’s black and orange markingsmotif formal a single shape that is regularly repeated to form a pattern which decorates somethingA triangle within a square is a very common motif in Muslim art.The shield motif in the frescoes at Knossos is a religious, not a military, symbol.
Examples from the Corpus
pattern• patterns of sunlight and shadow on the ground• Could he see a pattern in the number of cubes that did make squares?• Critics of the police say they see a pattern of racism and abuse by officers.• behavior patterns• I'm looking for a wallpaper with a nice bold pattern.• Eventually, he decided on a suit with a blue-gray check pattern.• The ground was freshly pawed by deer, and the smooth black earth showed the criss-cross pattern of their hoof prints.• The diffraction patterns of fresh crystals extend to 2.6 resolution, but radiation damage rapidly reduces their quality.• In the key of C, the first pattern is called 3-4.• a navy blue silk blouse with a white flowery pattern• Exposure to 2°C caused drastic changes to the growth pattern and even resulted in some leaves failing to emerge.• Unlike the Hopfield model, this network can store many more patterns than the number of dimensions.• Women's lives used to follow a predictable pattern: school, then marriage and children.• Police say that each of the murders follows the same pattern.• a skirt pattern• Take for instance the pattern of incivility and disrespect displayed over the past several years by Chicago Bulls basketball star Dennis Rodman.• San Diego has a very regular weather pattern.• Having said that, I rarely, if ever, follow a written pattern line by line.pattern of• If you've set a pattern of overspending, try to break it this year.• a pattern of light and dark bandsset the pattern for• He had set the pattern for a major biographical achievement but he died prematurely.• There was also Wartberg himself: he set the pattern for all my future employers.• In other words, the greatest houses no longer set the pattern for the nation.• In form and style they set the pattern for the first generation of purpose-built station buildings.• All this set the pattern for the next few days.• That first day seemed to set the pattern for the following weeks.• Hence, such a step would set the pattern for at least a generation to come. patternpattern2 verb [transitive] 1 → be patterned on/after something2 literary to form a pattern on something Tiny white flowers patterned the ground like confetti.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
pattern• His intricately patterned, inlaid tabletop designs represent hundreds of hours of work.• To use yet another metaphor, moulding of form can be thought of as metalworking; patterning like painting.• The younger individual was a girl of 10-12 years old who wore a red patterned silk shroud.• They've got a great selection of gear from ace patterned snowboards to fantastic girls' clothing.• Repetitive, patterned texts give emergent readers extra support while they are reading.From Longman Business Dictionarypatternpat‧tern1 /ˈpætənˈpætərn/ noun [countable]1the regular way in which something happens, changes, or is doneThe standards are expected toset a pattern for cleaner, more expensive fuels.pattern ofa survey on the spending patterns of various nationalities2pattern agreement/settlement/contract etc American EnglishHUMAN RESOURCES an agreement etc between a company and a union based on other agreements with similar companiesHe disputed that the contract was a pattern settlement because it doesn’t match contracts at foreign steel plants.Some executives are grumbling thatpattern bargaining is making competition with Japanese auto makers very difficult.3be in a holding patternECONOMICS to be in a period of time when very little trading, spending etc is taking place because people are not sure what to do nextInvestors are in a holding pattern waiting for clear signals about the economy’s direction.patternpattern2 verb [transitive] be patterned on/after if one thing is patterned on another, it is very similar to it because it has been copied from itCredit Mobilier of America, a finance company patterned after a French venturea model of economic development patterned on Japan’s→ See Verb tableOrigin pattern1 (1300-1400) Old French patron, from Medieval Latin patronus; → PATRON 