patio
Americannoun
-
an area, usually paved, adjoining a house and used as an area for outdoor lounging, dining, etc.
-
a courtyard, especially of a house, enclosed by low buildings or walls.
noun
-
an open inner courtyard, esp one in a Spanish or Spanish-American house
-
an area adjoining a house, esp one that is paved and used for outdoor activities
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of patio
1820–30, < Spanish, Old Spanish: courtyard, perhaps originally open area; compare Medieval Latin patium meadow, pasturage, perhaps derivative of Latin *patitus, past participle of patēre to lie open. See patent
Explanation
A patio is a space for sitting outside that's usually paved. Your neighbors' patio might be paved with bricks and decorated with flowers in pots. Some patios are paved with stone or concrete slabs that together form a sort of outdoor floor. You can also call this area a terrace, verandah, or courtyard. A patio is usually located beside or behind a house or apartment building, although some public buildings also have patios — a restaurant might have a patio for outdoor seating, for example. Patio means "court open to the sky" in Spanish, from the Old Provençal pati, "communal pasture."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On her visits, Bonda noticed that the bare cinderblock wall along the patio could use some livening up.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2026
She cocked her head, padded cautiously across the patio, and hid beneath a chair.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026
"This city is electric," said Jake Minicucci while sitting with friends on the patio of a Manhattan sports bar.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
The bright, colorful space offers plenty of seating and a patio for warmer days, making it an easy place to linger.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
The three of them are already seated at a table on the patio when we get there, which isn’t surprising since it took Celia four hundred tries to parallel park.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
