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Definitions

patent

[pat-nt, peyt-, peyt-nt] / ˈpæt nt, ˈpeɪt-, ˈpeɪt nt /


NOUN
copyright on an invention
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.

China accounted for 60% of all quantum patent applications as of 2024, though a smaller share actually were granted.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Both happen to be among the least exposed to near-term patent expirations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

But long before that, in 1871, inventor Antonio Meucci received a “caveat,” a precursor to a patent, for his version of a telephone, which he called a speaking telegraph.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

While Walter Hunt’s daughter dissuaded her father from obtaining a sewing-machine patent, Elias Howe Jr.’s wife inspired her husband to get one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

This one battle to patent radioactive salt threatened to extinguish all this goodwill, slowing down the propagation of the cyclotron if not halting it altogether.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik




Vocabulary lists containing patent