Illustration of patchwork
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patchwork
noun
patch·work
ˈpach-ˌwərk 
often attributive
1
: something composed of miscellaneous or incongruous parts : hodgepodge
2
: pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together to form a covering
also
: something resembling such a covering
a patchwork of fields
Examples of patchwork in a Sentence
The valley is a patchwork of family farms.
A patchwork of laws prevent the land from being developed.
a patchwork system of laws
Recent Examples on the Web
In the meantime, sports' governing bodies are grappling to work out how to respond to the debate, resulting in a patchwork of various policies as officials try to balance the rights of all their athletes.
—
John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
But Democrats argued that eliminating the option could lead to confusing results, such as a state-by-state patchwork of rulings on issues as important as who is a citizen.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
The Future of Transparency At a congressional hearing last month, Illini athletic director Josh Whitman talked about the future of NIL and the importance of creating national standards for revenue-sharing and NIL deals instead of a patchwork of state-by-state legislation.
—Stacy St. Clair, ProPublica, 4 Apr. 2025
Researchers often rely on a patchwork of press reports and imports data.
—Rebecca Robbins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patchwork
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John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
But Democrats argued that eliminating the option could lead to confusing results, such as a state-by-state patchwork of rulings on issues as important as who is a citizen.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
The Future of Transparency At a congressional hearing last month, Illini athletic director Josh Whitman talked about the future of NIL and the importance of creating national standards for revenue-sharing and NIL deals instead of a patchwork of state-by-state legislation.
—Stacy St. Clair, ProPublica, 4 Apr. 2025
Researchers often rely on a patchwork of press reports and imports data.
—Rebecca Robbins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for patchwork
Cite this Entry
“Patchwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patchwork. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
patchwork
noun
patch·work
ˈpach-ˌwərk
1
: something made up of various parts
2
: pieces of cloth of various colors and shapes sewn together usually in a pattern
patchwork
adjective
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