pattern (something) after (something else)

pattern (something) after (something else)

To use something as the template or model for the way in which something else is created or developed. The mayor's ambitious social security plan is patterned after a similar system already in place in Sweden. You can pattern your lesson plans after ones from previous teachers.

See also: after, pattern

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

pattern something after something

to use something as an example or model when making something. I patterned my house after one I saw in England. She wanted to pattern her coat after her mother's.

See also: after, pattern

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.