The difference between Fix and Patch

When used as nouns, fix means a repair or corrective action, whereas patch means a piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, especially upon an old garment to cover a hole.

When used as verbs, fix means to pierce, whereas patch means to mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like.

check bellow for the other definitions of Fix and Patch

  1. Fix as a noun:

    A repair or corrective action.

    Examples:

    "That plumber's fix is much better than the first one's."

  2. Fix as a noun:

    A difficult situation; a quandary or dilemma.

    Examples:

    "It rained before we repaired the roof, and were we in a fix!"

  3. Fix as a noun (informal):

    A single dose of an addictive drug administered to a drug user.

  4. Fix as a noun:

    A prearrangement of the outcome of a supposedly competitive process, such as a sporting event, a game, an election, a trial, or a bid.

  5. Fix as a noun:

    A determination of location.

    Examples:

    "We have a fix on your position."

  6. Fix as a noun (US):

    fettlings (mixture used to line a furnace)

  1. Fix as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    To pierce; now generally replaced by transfix. (Of a piercing look) to direct at someone.

    Examples:

    "He fixed me with a sickly grin, and said, "I told you it wouldn't work!"

  2. Fix as a verb (transitive):

    To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time. To focus or determine (oneself, on a concept); to fixate.

    Examples:

    "A dab of chewing gum will [[fix]] your note to the bulletin board."

    "A leech can [[fix]] itself to your skin without you feeling it."

    "The Constitution [[fix]]es the date when Congress must meet."

    "She's fixed on the idea of becoming a doctor."

  3. Fix as a verb (transitive):

    To mend, to repair.

    Examples:

    "That heater will start a fire if you don't fix it."

  4. Fix as a verb (transitive, informal):

    To prepare (food).

    Examples:

    "She fixed dinner for the kids."

  5. Fix as a verb (transitive):

    To make (a contest, vote, or gamble) unfair; to privilege one contestant or a particular group of contestants, usually before the contest begins; to arrange immunity for defendants by tampering with the justice system via bribery or extortion

    Examples:

    "A majority of voters believed the election was fixed in favor of the incumbent."

  6. Fix as a verb (transitive, US, informal):

    To surgically render an animal, especially a pet, infertile.

    Examples:

    "Rover stopped digging under the fence after we had the vet fix him."

  7. Fix as a verb (transitive, mathematics, sematics):

    To map a (point or subset) to itself.

  8. Fix as a verb (transitive, informal):

    To take revenge on, to best; to serve justice on an assumed miscreant.

    Examples:

    "He got caught breaking into lockers, so a couple of guys fixed him after work."

  9. Fix as a verb (transitive):

    To render (a photographic impression) permanent by treating with such applications as will make it insensitive to the action of light.

  10. Fix as a verb (transitive, chemistry, biology):

    To convert into a stable or available form.

    Examples:

    "Legumes are valued in crop rotation for their ability to fix nitrogen."

    "rfquotek Abney"

  11. Fix as a verb (intransitive):

    To become fixed; to settle or remain permanently; to cease from wandering; to rest.

  12. Fix as a verb (intransitive):

    To become firm, so as to resist volatilization; to cease to flow or be fluid; to congeal; to become hard and malleable, as a metallic substance.

    Examples:

    "rfquotek Francis Bacon"

  1. Patch as a noun:

    A piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, especially upon an old garment to cover a hole.

    Examples:

    "His sleeves had patches on the elbows where different fabric had been sewn on to replace material that had worn away."

  2. Patch as a noun:

    A small piece of anything used to repair damage or a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc.

    Examples:

    "I can't afford to replace the roof, which is what it really needs. I'll have the roofer apply a patch."

  3. Patch as a noun:

    A repair intended to be used for a limited time; (differs from previous usage in that it is intended to be a temporary fix and the size of the repair is irrelevant). This usage can mean that the repair is temporary because it is an early but necessary step in the process of properly, completely repairing something,

    Examples:

    "Before you can fix a dam, you have to apply a patch to the hole so that everything can dry off.''<br>or that it is temporary because it is not meant to last long or will be removed as soon as a proper repair can be made, which will happen in the near future."

    "This patch should hold until you reach the city," the mechanic said as he patted the car's hood."

  4. Patch as a noun:

    A small, usually contrasting but always somehow different or distinct, part of something else (location, time, size)

    Examples:

    "The world economy had a rough patch in the 1930s."

    "To me, a normal cow is white with black patches, but Sarah's from Texas and most of the cows there have solid brown, black, or red coats."

    "Doesn't that patch of clouds looks like a bunny?"

    "When ice skating, be sure to stay away from reeds: there are always thin patches of ice there, and you could fall through."

  5. Patch as a noun:

    A small area, a small plot of land or piece of ground.

    Examples:

    "Scattered patches of trees or growing corn."

  6. Patch as a noun:

    An area of professional responsibility

  7. Patch as a noun (historical):

    A small piece of black silk stuck on the face or neck to heighten beauty by contrast, worn by ladies in the 17th and 18th centuries; an imitation beauty mark.

  8. Patch as a noun (medicine):

    A piece of material used to cover a wound.

  9. Patch as a noun (medicine):

    An adhesive piece of material, impregnated with a drug, which is worn on the skin, the drug being slowly absorbed over a period of time.

    Examples:

    "Many people use a nicotine patch to wean themselves off of nicotine."

  10. Patch as a noun (medicine):

    A cover worn over a damaged eye, an eyepatch.

    Examples:

    "He had scratched his cornea so badly that his doctor told him to wear a patch."

  11. Patch as a noun:

    A block on the muzzle of a gun, to do away with the effect of dispart, in sighting.

  12. Patch as a noun (computing):

    A patch file, a file used for input to a patch program or that describes changes made to a computer file or files, usually changes made to a computer program that fix a programming bug.

  13. Patch as a noun:

    A small piece of material that is manually passed through a gun barrel to clean it.

  14. Patch as a noun:

    A piece of greased cloth or leather used as wrapping for a rifle ball, to make it fit the bore.

  15. Patch as a noun (often, '''patch cable''', '''patch cord'''{{,):

    etc.; see also patch panel}} A cable connecting two pieces of electrical equipment.

  16. Patch as a noun:

    A sound setting for a musical synthesizer (originally selected by means of a patch cable).

  17. Patch as a noun (printing, historical):

    An overlay used to obtain a stronger impression.

  1. Patch as a verb:

    To mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like

    Examples:

    "MY coat needs patching."

  2. Patch as a verb:

    To mend with pieces; to repair by fastening pieces on.

  3. Patch as a verb:

    To make out of pieces or patches, like a quilt.

  4. Patch as a verb:

    To join or unite the pieces of; to patch the skirt.

  5. Patch as a verb:

    To employ a temporary, removable electronic connection, as one between two components in a communications system.

  6. Patch as a verb (generally with the particle "up"):

    To repair or arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner

    Examples:

    "The truce between the two countries has been patched up."

  7. Patch as a verb (computing):

    To make the changes a patch describes; to apply a patch to the files in question. Hence: To fix or improve a computer program without a complete upgrade. To make a quick and possibly temporary change to a program.

  8. Patch as a verb:

    To connect two pieces of electrical equipment using a cable.

    Examples:

    "I'll need to patch the preamp output to the mixer."

  1. Patch as a noun (archaic):

    A paltry fellow; a rogue; a ninny; a fool.

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