patent
/ˈpætənt/
verb
- To obtain a patent for an invention or process.
- The inventor decided to patent her design before showing it to investors.
- They patented a new method for recycling plastic.
- It took two years to patent the software algorithm.
adjective
- Obvious and easy to see; not hidden or disguised.
- The error in the report was patent to anyone who read it.
- It was a patent lie that everyone saw through.
- His patent lack of interest made the meeting awkward.
- Protected by a patent; relating to a patent.
- The company sells patent medicines for common colds.
- They are fighting a legal battle over patent rights.
- Patent laws vary from country to country.
Antonyms
noun
- An official government right giving an inventor the exclusive legal right to make, use, or sell their invention for a limited number of years.
- The company filed a patent for its new battery technology.
- The patent on that drug expired last year, allowing cheaper generic versions.
- She holds several patents for medical devices.
- An invention or process that is protected by a patent.
- The university owns the patent on that chemical compound.
- They bought the patent for a new type of solar panel.
- The smartphone uses hundreds of different patents.