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Fix vs. Patch — What's the Difference?

Fix vs. Patch — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Fix and Patch

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Fix

To correct or set right; adjust
Fix a misspelling.
Fix the out-of-date accounts.

Patch

A small piece of material affixed to another, larger piece to conceal, reinforce, or repair a worn area, hole, or tear.

Fix

To restore to proper condition or working order; repair
Fix a broken machine.

Patch

A small piece of cloth used for patchwork.

Fix

To make ready for a specific purpose, as by altering or combining elements; prepare
Fixed the room for the guests.
Fix lunch for the kids.
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Patch

A small cloth badge affixed to a garment as a decoration or an insignia, as of a military unit.

Fix

To spay or castrate (an animal).

Patch

A dressing or covering applied to protect a wound or sore.

Fix

To influence the outcome or actions of (something) by improper or unlawful means
Fix a prizefight.
Fix a jury.

Patch

A pad or shield of cloth worn over an eye socket or an injured eye.

Fix

(Informal) To take revenge upon (someone); get even with.

Patch

A transdermal patch.

Fix

To place securely; make stable or firm
Fixed the tent poles in the ground.

Patch

See beauty spot.

Fix

To secure to another; attach
Fixing the notice to the board with tacks.

Patch

A small piece, part, or section, especially that which differs from or contrasts with the whole
A patch of thin ice.
Patches of sunlight.

Fix

To put into a stable or unalterable form
Tried to fix the conversation in her memory.

Patch

A small plot or piece of land, especially one that produces or is used for growing specific vegetation
A briar patch.
A bean patch.

Fix

To make (a chemical substance) nonvolatile or solid.

Patch

An indefinite period of time; a spell
Weathered a difficult patch after losing his job.

Fix

(Biology) To convert (nitrogen or carbon) into stable, biologically assimilable compounds.

Patch

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

Fix

To kill and preserve (a specimen) intact for microscopic study.

Patch

(Computers) A piece of code added to software in order to fix a bug, especially as a temporary correction between two releases.

Fix

To prevent discoloration of (a photographic image) by washing or coating with a chemical preservative.

Patch

To put a patch or patches on
Patched my pants.

Fix

To direct steadily
Fixed her eyes on the road ahead.

Patch

To make by sewing scraps of material together
Patch a quilt.

Fix

To capture or hold
The man with the long beard fixed our attention.

Patch

To mend, repair, or put together, especially hastily, clumsily, or poorly
They patched together the broken statues with glue and plaster. The delegates will be forced to patch up their differences.

Fix

To set or place definitely; establish
Fixed her residence in a coastal village.

Patch

To connect temporarily (electronic components), as with a patch cord.

Fix

To determine with accuracy; ascertain
Fixed the date of the ancient artifacts.

Patch

(Computers) To correct a bug in (an item of software), especially as a temporary correction between releases.

Fix

To agree on; arrange
Fix a time to meet.

Patch

(Electronics) To be connected temporarily.

Fix

To assign; attribute
Fixing the blame.

Patch

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

Fix

(Computers) To convert (data) from floating-point notation to fixed-point notation.

Patch

A small piece of anything used to repair damage or a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc.
I can't afford to replace the roof, which is what it really needs. I'll have the roofer apply a patch.

Fix

To direct one's efforts or attention; concentrate
We fixed on the immediate goal.

Patch

A piece of any size, used to repair something for a temporary period only, 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.
Before you can fix a dam, you have to apply a patch to the hole so that everything can dry off.
"This patch should hold until you reach the city," the mechanic said as he patted the car's hood.

Fix

To become stable or firm; harden
Fresh plaster will fix in a few hours.

Patch

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

Fix

Chiefly Southern US To be on the verge of; to be making preparations for. Used in progressive tenses with the infinitive
We were fixing to leave without you.

Patch

A small area, a small plot of land or piece of ground.
Scattered patches of trees or growing corn.

Fix

The act of adjusting, correcting, or repairing.

Patch

A local region of professional responsibility.

Fix

(Informal) Something that repairs or restores; a solution
No easy fix for an intractable problem.

Patch

(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.

Fix

The position, as of a ship or aircraft, determined by visual observations with the aid of equipment.

Patch

(medicine) A piece of material used to cover a wound.

Fix

A clear determination or understanding
A briefing that gave us a fix on the current situation.

Patch

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

Fix

An instance of arranging a special consideration, such as an exemption from a requirement, or an improper or illegal outcome, especially by means of bribery.

Patch

(medicine) A cover worn over a damaged eye, an eyepatch.
He had scratched his cornea so badly that his doctor told him to wear a patch.

Fix

A difficult or embarrassing situation; a predicament
"If we get left on this wreck we are in a fix" (Mark Twain).

Patch

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

Fix

(Slang) An amount or dose of something craved, especially an intravenous injection of a narcotic.

Patch

(computing) A patch file, a file that describes changes to be made to a computer file or files, usually changes made to a computer program that fix a programming bug.

Fix

To pierce; now generally replaced by transfix.

Patch

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

Fix

(Of a piercing look) to direct at someone.
He fixed me with a sickly grin, and said, "I told you it wouldn't work!"

Patch

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

Fix

(transitive) To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time.
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 fixes the date when Congress must meet.

Patch

A cable connecting two pieces of electrical equipment.
Soundboard patch

Fix

To focus or determine (oneself, on a concept); to fixate.
She's fixed on the idea of becoming a doctor.

Patch

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

Fix

To prevent enemy pawns from advancing by directly opposing the most advanced one with one of one's own pawns so as to threaten to capture any advancing backward pawns.

Patch

An overlay used to obtain a stronger impression.

Fix

(transitive) To mend, to repair.
That heater will start a fire if you don't fix it.
You can't fix stupid.

Patch

A butterfly of the genus Chlosyne.

Fix

To prepare (food or drink).
She fixed dinner for the kids.

Patch

(archaic) A paltry fellow; a rogue; a ninny; a fool.

Fix

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

Patch

To mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like
My coat needs patching.

Fix

To surgically render an animal, especially a pet, infertile.
Rover stopped digging under the fence after we had the vet fix him.

Patch

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

Fix

To map a (point or subset) to itself.

Patch

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

Fix

To take revenge on, to best; to serve justice on an assumed miscreant.
He got caught breaking into lockers, so a couple of guys fixed him after work.

Patch

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

Fix

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

Patch

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

Fix

To convert into a stable or available form.
Legumes are valued in crop rotation for their ability to fix nitrogen.

Patch

(generally with the particle "up") To repair or arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner
The truce between the two countries has been patched up.

Fix

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

Patch

(computing) To make the changes a patch describes; to apply a patch to the files in question. Hence:

Fix

(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.

Patch

To fix or improve a computer program without a complete upgrade.

Fix

A repair or corrective action.
That plumber's fix is much better than the first one's.

Patch

To make a quick and possibly temporary change to a program.

Fix

A difficult situation; a quandary or dilemma; a predicament.
It rained before we repaired the roof, and were we in a fix!

Patch

To connect two pieces of electrical equipment using a cable.
I'll need to patch the preamp output to the mixer.

Fix

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

Patch

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

Fix

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

Patch

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

Fix

A determination of location.
We have a fix on your position.

Patch

A small piece of black silk stuck on the face, or neck, to hide a defect, or to heighten beauty.
Your black patches you wear variously.

Fix

(US) fettlings (mixture used to line a furnace)

Patch

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

Fix

Fixed; solidified.

Patch

Fig.: Anything regarded as a patch; a small piece of ground; a tract; a plot; as, scattered patches of trees or growing corn.
Employed about this patch of ground.

Fix

To make firm, stable, or fast; to set or place permanently; to fasten immovably; to establish; to implant; to secure; to make definite.
An ass's nole I fixed on his head.
O, fix thy chair of grace, that all my powersMay also fix their reverence.
His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
And fix far deeper in his head their stings.

Patch

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

Fix

To hold steadily; to direct unwaveringly; to fasten, as the eye on an object, the attention on a speaker.
Sat fixed in thought the mighty Stagirite.
One eye on death, and one full fix'd on heaven.

Patch

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

Fix

To transfix; to pierce.

Patch

To mend by sewing on a piece or pieces of cloth, leather, or the like; as, to patch a coat.

Fix

To render (an impression) permanent by treating with a developer to make it insensible to the action of light.

Patch

To mend with pieces; to repair with pieces festened on; to repair clumsily; as, to patch the roof of a house.

Fix

To put in order; to arrange; to dispose of; to adjust; to set to rights; to set or place in the manner desired or most suitable; hence, to repair; as, to fix the clothes; to fix the furniture of a room.

Patch

To adorn, as the face, with a patch or patches.
Ladies who patched both sides of their faces.

Fix

To line the hearth of (a puddling furnace) with fettling.

Patch

To make of pieces or patches; to repair as with patches; to arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner; - generally with up; as, to patch up a truce.

Fix

To become fixed; to settle or remain permanently; to cease from wandering; to rest.
Your kindness banishes your fear,Resolved to fix forever here.

Patch

A small contrasting part of something;
A bald spot
A leopard's spots
A patch of clouds
Patches of thin ice
A fleck of red

Fix

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.

Patch

A small area of ground covered by specific vegetation;
A bean plot
A cabbage patch
A briar patch

Fix

A position of difficulty or embarassment; predicament; dilemma.
Is he not living, then? No. is he dead, then? No, nor dead either. Poor Aroar can not live, and can not die, - so that he is in an almighty fix.

Patch

A piece of cloth used as decoration or to mend or cover a hole

Fix

Fettling.

Patch

A period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition;
He was here for a little while
I need to rest for a piece
A spell of good weather
A patch of bad weather

Fix

Informal terms for a difficult situation;
He got into a terrible fix
He made a muddle of his marriage

Patch

A short set of commands to correct a bug in a computer program

Fix

Something craved, especially an intravenous injection of a narcotic drug;
She needed a fix of chocolate

Patch

A connection intended to be used for a limited time

Fix

The act of putting something in working order again

Patch

Sewing or darning that repairs a worn or torn hole (especially in a garment);
Her stockings had several mends

Fix

An exemption granted after influence (e.g., money) is brought to bear;
Collusion resulted in tax fixes for gamblers

Patch

A protective cloth covering for an injured eye

Fix

A determination of the location of something;
He got a good fix on the target

Patch

A piece of soft material that covers and protects an injured part of the body

Fix

Restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken;
She repaired her TV set
Repair my shoes please

Patch

To join or unite the pieces of;
Patch the skirt

Fix

Cause to be firmly attached;
Fasten the lock onto the door
She fixed her gaze on the man

Patch

Provide with a patch; also used metaphorically;
The field was patched with snow

Fix

Decide upon or fix definitely;
Fix the variables
Specify the parameters

Patch

Mend by putting a patch on;
Patch a hole

Fix

Prepare for eating by applying heat;
Cook me dinner, please
Can you make me an omelette?
Fix breakfast for the guests, please

Patch

Repair by adding pieces;
She pieced the china cup

Fix

Take vengeance on or get even;
We'll get them!
That'll fix him good!
This time I got him

Fix

Set or place definitely;
Let's fix the date for the party!

Fix

Kill, preserve, and harden (tissue) in order to prepare for microscopic study

Fix

Make fixed, stable or stationary;
Let's fix the picture to the frame

Fix

Make infertile;
In some countries, people with genetically transmissible disbilites are sterilized

Fix

Put (something somewhere) firmly;
She posited her hand on his shoulder
Deposit the suitcase on the bench
Fix your eyes on this spot

Fix

Make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc;
Get the children ready for school!
Prepare for war
I was fixing to leave town after I paid the hotel bill

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