noun
plural patches
[count] a piece of material that is used to cover a hole in something or to provide extra protection to an area
a piece of material that is worn over your eye because of injury or for medical reasons
a piece of material that contains a drug and that is worn on your skin to allow the drug to slowly enter your body over a long period of time
a small spot or area that is different from the surrounding area
a small area of land where a particular fruit or vegetable grows
a period of time
US :a piece of cloth with words or pictures that is sewn on clothing as a decoration or as part of a uniform :badge
computers :a program that corrects or updates an existing program
Brit informal :an area that someone knows well, works or lives in, or comes from
be not a patch on
Brit informal :to be much less good, appealing, impressive, etc., than (someone or something)
verb
patches; patched; patching
[+ obj] to cover a hole in (something) with a piece of material
to connect (a person, telephone call, etc.) to a communication system especially for a short period of time
patch together
[phrasal verb]
patch (something) together or patch together (something) :to put (something) together usually in a quick or careless way
patch up
[phrasal verb]
patch (something) up or patch up (something) :to deal with (a problem, disagreement, etc.) in order to improve or repair a relationship
patch (something or someone) up or patch up (something or someone) :to give quick and usually temporary medical treatment to (someone or something)