Computer patch definition

Formerly patches were installed manually. Today automatic updates are very popular and are available as self-installing packages from the software vendors support pages at their website. Although patches can vary in size from several kilobytes to hundreds of megabytes, patches are usually perceived as being rather small. Common to Microsoft Windows operating system large patches are generally named service packs, and can be over Mb.

By: Brad Rudisail Contributor. By: Kaushik Pal Contributor. By: Leah Zitter Contributor. Dictionary Dictionary Term of the Day. Techopedia Terms. Connect with us. Sign up. Accessed 13 Jan. Nglish: Translation of patch for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of patch for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of patch Entry 1 of 3. Definition of patch Entry 2 of 3. Definition of patch Entry 3 of 3. Synonyms for patch Synonyms: Verb doctor , fix , mend , recondition , renovate , repair , revamp Visit the Thesaurus for More. Choose the Right Synonym for patch Verb mend , repair , patch , rebuild mean to put into good order something that is injured, damaged, or defective.

Examples of patch in a Sentence Verb The fence needs to be patched. They patched him into the conference call. First Known Use of patch Noun 1 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun 2 , in the meaning defined above. History and Etymology for patch Noun 1 Middle English pacche Noun 2 perhaps by folk etymology from Italian dialect paccio. Software patches, when available, are generally found at the software developer's website.

The term patch is derived from the physical patches programmers used place over holes on punch tape to fix problems. When a product reaches EOL end-of-life and is no longer supported or the company goes out of business it will no longer release patches.