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A quick, light touch with the hand
“I had already begun to pull away when he hastily returned the embrace, giving me a quick pat on the back.”
A compact mass of soft material
“The peas are covered in salted water, cooked until tender, seasoned with a pat of butter and served.”
A gentle or loving touch
A brief application of a piece of absorbent material to a surface
An general act of touching someone or something
A loud or explosive sound
An act of rubbing something
A repeated light tapping
To touch quickly and gently with the flat of the hand
“Tessa rolls her eyes, and actually has the nerve to pat me consolingly on the shoulder.”
To dab lightly and quickly to clean or wipe away
“I clasped and unclasped my handbag and attempted to discreetly pat the perspiration from my brow.”
To hit lightly and repeatedly with to make flat or to change the shape of
“On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into a circle about seven inches in diameter.”
To come into general physical contact with
To hit or strike, often with one's hand
To make something fluffy, typically by patting or ruffling
To dry (a wet surface or substance) using an absorbent material
To make a repeated light tapping sound
To treat with great care, attention or indulgence
Stubbornly sticking to an opinion, purpose, or course of action
“Fess signaled his retirement by heaving protesting voters' letters into his capacious wastebasket and indicating that he would stand pat on his opinions and record.”
Appropriate, relevant or suitable for the occasion
“Representatives of the newsprint mills have a pat comment when queried about these rumors.”
Simple and somewhat glib or unconvincing
“I'm not sure that I can give a pat answer to that, or that any of us should give a pat answer as a description for any component of our lives.”
Smooth and superficially impressive, but typically insincere or shallow
Not moving or not intended to be moved
Not able to be disputed or doubted
At exactly the right moment or in the right way
“This announcement came rather pat on the Nun's reflections.”
In a manner or way that could not be better
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