Meaning & use
patent defect
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablelegal
A fault in a product or building that can be seen on a normal inspection, so the buyer cannot claim they were unaware of it.
Grammar: Countable: a patent defect, several patent defects.
Patterns
- a patent defect in something
Cracked tiles are a patent defect that any buyer could spot.
The seller argued that the broken window was a patent defect the buyer should have noticed.
A court may refuse compensation for a patent defect that was visible before purchase.
Word forms
| plural | patent defects |
|---|
Common combinations
- visible patent defect
- A leaking roof can be a visible patent defect.
- disclose a patent defect
- The seller must disclose any patent defect he knows.
- patent and latent defects
- Contracts often distinguish patent and latent defects.
- claim for a patent defect
- He made a claim for a patent defect after the sale.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obvious defect
- Obvious defect is the plain-English version, while patent defect is the formal legal term.
- visible fault
- Visible fault is everyday language, and it does not carry the legal consequence for buyers.
- apparent defect
- Apparent defect means almost the same but is a little less common in contracts.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: patent defect or latent defect? patent defect or patent?
patent defect vs latent defect
A latent defect is hidden and cannot be found by normal inspection, the opposite of a patent defect.
patent defect vs patent
The invention-related patent is a legal right to an invention, and is unrelated to the 'obvious' sense here.
Practice
A buyer could easily see a large crack in a wall before buying. This is what kind of defect?
Choose one answer.
A defect that is plainly visible is a patent defect. Latent, hidden and secret all describe faults that cannot be seen, which is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “patent defect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.