<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>a small piece of material used to mend a tear or break, to cover a hole, or to strengthen a weak place: patches at the elbows of a sports jacket.</li><li>a piece of material used to cover or protect a wound, an injured part, etc.: a patch over the eye.</li><li>Also called skin patch, an adhesive patch that applies to the skin and gradually delivers drugs or medication to the user: using a nicotine patch to try to quit smoking.</li><li>any of the pieces of cloth sewed together to form patchwork.</li><li>a small piece, scrap, or area of anything: a patch of ice on the road.</li><li>a piece or tract of land; plot.</li><li>a small field, plot, or garden, especially one in which a specific type of plant grows or is cultivated: a bean patch, a cabbage patch.</li><li>beauty spot.</li><li>Military. a cloth emblem worn on the upper uniform sleeve to identify the military unit of the wearer.</li><li>a small organizational or affiliational emblem of cloth sewn to one's jacket, shirt, cap, etc.</li><li>a connection or hookup, as between radio circuits or telephone lines: The patch allowed shut-ins to hear the game by telephone.</li><li>a period of time characterized by some quality: he was going through a rough patch.</li><li>Computers. a small piece of code designed to be inserted into an executable program in order to fix errors in or update the program or its supporting data.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>(used with object) to mend, cover, or strengthen with or as if with a patch or patches.</li><li>Synonyms: fix.</li><li>Antonyms: break.</li><li>to repair or restore, especially in a hasty or makeshift way (usually followed by up).</li><li>to make by joining patches or pieces together: to patch a quilt.</li><li>to settle or smooth over (a quarrel, difference, etc.) (often followed by up): They patched up their quarrel before the company arrived.</li><li>(especially in radio and telephone communications) to connect or hook up (circuits, programs, conversations, etc.) (often followed by through, into, etc.): Patch me through to the mainland.</li><li>to update (a software program) by downloading and installing a small piece of code in order to fix errors in or update a program or its supporting data: You may need to manually patch the game to the latest version.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>(used without object) to make a connection between radio circuits, telephone lines, etc. (often followed by in or into): We patched into the ship-to-shore conversation.</li></ul>