noun
1. a customary way of operation or behavior
e.g. it is their practice to give annual raises
they changed their dietary pattern
Synonym: practice
2. a decorative or artistic work
e.g. the coach had a design on the doors
Synonym: designfigure
3. something regarded as a normative example
e.g. the convention of not naming the main character
violence is the rule not the exception
his formula for impressing visitors
Synonym: conventionnormalruleformula
4. something intended as a guide for making something else
e.g. a blueprint for a house
a pattern for a skirt
Synonym: blueprintdesign
5. a perceptual structure
e.g. the composition presents problems for students of musical form
a visual pattern must include not only objects but the spaces between them
Synonym: formshape
6. a model considered worthy of imitation
e.g. the American constitution has provided a pattern for many republics
7. graphical representation (in polar or Cartesian coordinates) of the spatial distribution of radiation from an antenna as a function of angle
Synonym: radiation patternradiation diagram
8. the path that is prescribed for an airplane that is preparing to land at an airport
e.g. the traffic patterns around O'Hare are very crowded
they stayed in the pattern until the fog lifted
Synonym: traffic patternapproach pattern
verb
1. plan or create according to a model or models
Synonym: model
2. form a pattern
e.g. These sentences pattern like the ones we studied before