[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/pattern.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / pattern

[← P](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/P/)

# pattern

«pattern» in Mova's school dictionary: **something that repeats in a rule, like red, blue, red…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (pattern, patterns); verb (pattern, patterns, patterned, patterning — rare)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A pattern is something that repeats in a rule, like red, blue, red, blue, or 2, 4, 6, 8. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#m1)

2) A pattern is a design of lines, shapes or colours on cloth, paper or a wall: a pattern of stars. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#m2)

3) A pattern is a usual way that something happens: sleep patterns, weather patterns. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#m3)

4) A pattern is also a shape you copy or cut around to make clothes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In maths: number patterns, shape patterns, and repeating rules; «find the rule», «what comes next». In science: patterns in data, weather patterns, patterns on animals (stripes, spots). In art: repeating patterns and tessellations. In everyday life: patterns on clothes; in stories, a pattern of clues.

### examples

- What is the next number in the pattern 3, 6, 9? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x1)
- The pattern is red, red, blue. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x2)
- Find the rule of the pattern. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x3)
- The pattern adds 5 each time. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x4)
- A zebra has a pattern of black and white stripes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x5)
- Her dress has a pattern of little flowers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x6)
- Scientists look for patterns in their results. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x7)
- The leaves grow in a spiral pattern. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x8)
- The detective saw a pattern in the robberies. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x9)
- "What a beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/#x10)

### note

Find the rule (add, subtract, multiply) by comparing neighbouring terms, then use it. Trap: check the rule on more than two terms. A repeating pattern has a core that repeats (red, red, blue); a growing pattern changes by a rule. Do not confuse pattern with patent or patron.

### In the corpora

- [One complaint is not a pattern; get facts before you warn people off a business.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/43-our-street-when-a-guess-becomes-a-reputation/25/)
- [AI programs learn patterns from very large numbers of examples, such as sentences or photos.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/1-what-is-ai/6/)
- ["Large language model" means a huge program that has learned the patterns of how words are used.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/2-guessing-the-next-word/6/)
- [AI can help doctors spot patterns in scans such as X-rays; doctors still check and decide.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/17-voice-assistants-recommendations/13/)
- [That is AI at its best: a patient pattern-spotter helping people do something they could not do alone.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/ai/23-news-tricked-bots-discoveries/2/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «pattern» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pattern/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.