1
: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2
: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3
: not hasty or impetuous
4
: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5
a
: able or willing to bear
—used with of
b
: susceptible, admitting
patient of one interpretation
1
a
: an individual awaiting or under medical care and treatment
cancer patients
psychiatric patients
b
: the recipient of any of various personal services
2
: one that is acted upon
are agents as well as patients and observers in the world—
C. H. Whiteley
C. H. WhiteleySynonyms
Examples of patient in a Sentence
Adjective
To pry apart violent Islamic radicals, the United States has to become knowledgeable about internal cleavages and be patient in exploiting them.
—Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
I pack them into the compartment for a visit, pack till it's full far beyond capacity and weep with them, share with them my scanty bit of good fortune, tell them I care, tell them be patient, tell them I'm on their side …
—John Edgar Wideman, Harper's, December 2003
There's no sense being patient with people who make you wait, because they'll only make you wait longer the next time.
—Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
I hate having to stand in long lines. I'm just not very patient.
The teacher treated her students in a patient and understanding way.
“Aren't you finished yet?” “Be patient. I'll be done soon.”
Proofreading requires patient attention to detail.
They put in years of patient labor on the project.
Noun
Several patients were waiting to see the doctor.
the nurse asked the patient to change into a paper gown
Samantha Power, New York Times Book Review, 29 July 2007
I pack them into the compartment for a visit, pack till it's full far beyond capacity and weep with them, share with them my scanty bit of good fortune, tell them I care, tell them be patient, tell them I'm on their side …
—John Edgar Wideman, Harper's, December 2003
There's no sense being patient with people who make you wait, because they'll only make you wait longer the next time.
—Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
I hate having to stand in long lines. I'm just not very patient.
The teacher treated her students in a patient and understanding way.
“Aren't you finished yet?” “Be patient. I'll be done soon.”
Proofreading requires patient attention to detail.
They put in years of patient labor on the project.
Noun
Several patients were waiting to see the doctor.
the nurse asked the patient to change into a paper gown
Recent Examples on the WebMiles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
The man helping her was incredibly patient and went out of his way to assist her with a pile of packages.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
But fans will have to be patient with whoever is selected, and with the Sparks, who are in the midst of a major rebuild after missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Health care organizations are required by federal law to report any security breaches that compromise patient information to Health and Human Services.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Being patient and trusting the seasons give space for a liberating feeling that comes, paradoxically, from limited choice.
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Has your health information been exposed? Federal law requires health care organizations to report to Health and Human Services any security breaches that expose patient information.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
After the April 8 eclipse, people in a wide swath of the United States will have to be patient until 2045.
—Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
But about half of cancer drugs approved via this route fail to improve patient survival or quality of life in subsequent clinical trials after more than five years of follow-up, according to new findings presented Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Pay attention to the product Greco says patients can also ask their doctors to show them their cabinets and refrigerators where the product is kept.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
For nearly 40 years, federal law has guaranteed that patients have access to necessary emergency care, including when a pregnancy goes horribly wrong.
—Caitlin Gustafson, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
Prosthetic eyes must be replaced every few years and occasionally impact the patient in other physical ways.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
Still, not every patient will have a sibling or parent or child who can donate.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Site-neutral payments represent a commonsense policy that will reduce costs for patients and taxpayers.
—Alex Azar and Kathleen G. Sebelius, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024
The attack compromised the personal information of more than 11 million patients.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
Months after Kaiser Permanente reached a sweeping agreement with state regulators to improve its mental health services, the healthcare giant is facing union allegations that patients could be improperly losing such care.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Adjective
For Bernard Robertson-Dunn, an experienced systems engineer who serves as chair of the health committee at the Australian Privacy Foundation, one major issue is that developers themselves have handled patient information all wrong from the very start.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
The man helping her was incredibly patient and went out of his way to assist her with a pile of packages.
—Angela Haupt, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
But fans will have to be patient with whoever is selected, and with the Sparks, who are in the midst of a major rebuild after missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Health care organizations are required by federal law to report any security breaches that compromise patient information to Health and Human Services.
—Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
Being patient and trusting the seasons give space for a liberating feeling that comes, paradoxically, from limited choice.
—Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Has your health information been exposed? Federal law requires health care organizations to report to Health and Human Services any security breaches that expose patient information.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
After the April 8 eclipse, people in a wide swath of the United States will have to be patient until 2045.
—Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
But about half of cancer drugs approved via this route fail to improve patient survival or quality of life in subsequent clinical trials after more than five years of follow-up, according to new findings presented Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.
—Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 7 Apr. 2024
Noun
These powerful visual narratives of the experiences of their patients are proudly displayed by Aslı Tarcan Clinic and a number of other top hair transplant facilities in Turkey.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024
Pay attention to the product Greco says patients can also ask their doctors to show them their cabinets and refrigerators where the product is kept.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
For nearly 40 years, federal law has guaranteed that patients have access to necessary emergency care, including when a pregnancy goes horribly wrong.
—Caitlin Gustafson, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
Prosthetic eyes must be replaced every few years and occasionally impact the patient in other physical ways.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024
Still, not every patient will have a sibling or parent or child who can donate.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Site-neutral payments represent a commonsense policy that will reduce costs for patients and taxpayers.
—Alex Azar and Kathleen G. Sebelius, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024
The attack compromised the personal information of more than 11 million patients.
—The Courier-Journal, 9 Apr. 2024
Months after Kaiser Permanente reached a sweeping agreement with state regulators to improve its mental health services, the healthcare giant is facing union allegations that patients could be improperly losing such care.
—Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'patient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near patient
Cite this Entry
“Patient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patient. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patient
1 of 2 adjective
pa·tient
ˈpā-shənt 
1
: putting up with pains or hardships calmly or without complaint
2
: showing calm self-control
3
: not hasty or reckless
4
: steadfast sense 2, persevering
years of patient labor
patiently
adverb
patient
2 of 2 noun
: an individual awaiting or under medical care and treatment
Medical Definition
patient
noun
pa·tient
ˈpā-shənt
1
: a sick individual especially when awaiting or under the care and treatment of a physician or surgeon
the hospital is equipped to handle 500 patients
2
: a client for medical service (as of a physician or dentist)
a good practice with a large number of patients
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