pat

Bets on a hike have risen over the past week, though analysts expect officials to stand pat on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

A decision to stand pat has been made easier by the bond market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

But then the Bank of Japan hiked rates, the Fed stood pat and now oil prices have fallen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

"It feels to me like they are looking for reasons to stand pat, and this gives them a reason," said Edelberg, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Dad hugs me, giving me a hard pat on the back.

From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Kennedy pats him quickly on the back, then turns to the camera.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Baker smiled widely, nodded his head, greeted Ortiz in Spanish, chuckled and walked over to Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero, giving each of them hugs and pats on the back.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

He pats my arm, then walks me to Jaarsma Bakery and stands in line with me, telling me how good the cake is.

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025

The room where we meet has several places to sit, but Chan pats a spot on her couch right next to her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025

She gets up from the table and pats my shoulder.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

As students patted soil and staked trees for support, smoke from the wind-driven Sandy fire threatening Simi Valley billowed in the distance.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

The president patted one student on the arm and asked if he was a "strong person," to which the boy replied "yes, sir."

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

As Hugo Ekitike walked off to the adulation of the Anfield crowd last Saturday and took his seat on the bench, Alexander Isak simply patted his Liverpool team-mate's hair from behind.

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026

The preseason poll patted IU on the head with a No. 20 ranking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

She patted his back until he let go.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

“Older, but no wiser,” Graham said, patting the Ukrainian president on the shoulder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The two leaders shook hands warmly, Trump patting Xi's hand, and exchanged a few words on the red carpet before the cameras.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

"She's an amazing person and an amazing fighter, and she announced a minor difficulty which will be in good shape," Trumps said, patting her on the shoulder.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

But at the tail end of his monologue, O’Brien assured viewers that the Oscars exist to honor cinema as an art form, not for the Hollywood industrial complex patting itself on the back.

From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2026

He thought of Gramps patting the walls of the house.

From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis