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Glite Dictionary
to hold a patent

to hold a patent

1 4.8
To have the right given by the government to make or sell an invention
  • phrasal verb
  • Specialized
translation icon : tener una patente
  • "Hogan holds patents, so he took us through his experience.

Examples

  • First, the Department of Health and Human Services holds a patent titled "Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants."

    Blog text (1)

  • Tao, an expert in the study of cellular changes in diseases, holds a patent on two medical devices for early cancer detection.

  • He holds a patent for the design and development of a new type of BTA tool.

    Academic text (1996)

  • He holds a patent on the design of a human arterial catheter.

    Academic text (2001)

  • And ASOTAC holds a patent specifically over the cold plate mounted CPU or GPU pump design.

  • As a scientist, he holds patents on hardeners for film emulsions and on offset printing plates used in graphic arts color printing presses.

    Academic text (1995)

  • He has written a textbook on internal combustion engines and a book on low-temperature HVAC systems, and holds a patent on air diffusion techniques.

    Academic text (2001)

  • A.F. and M.N. hold a patent on D-4F at UCLA and are principals at BruinPharma. A.F. is an officer at BruinPharma.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Abraham Lincoln was the only U.S. President to hold a patent for a device to lift boats over shoals.

  • Microsoft holds a patent for a device that would distribute power and data to devices coupled to the human body.

Antonyms

to relinquish
  • Formal
69 7.2

To give up control, a right, or something you own

to renounce
  • Formal
69 6.3

To give up a right, belief, job, or position officially

Surface Forms

hold a patent infinitive
held a patent past
held a patent past participle
holding a patent present participle
holds a patent third person singular

Morphology

hold + a + patent

The meaning is directly compositional: 'hold' (to possess) + 'a' (article) + 'patent' (a document granting exclusive rights) yields 'to possess the legal rights to an invention.' This follows a standard verb + object pattern and has clear cross‑linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Hold a patent comes from a simple image: long ago a king or government would give an inventor an 'official paper' called a 'letter patent', so the inventor could literally hold the patent in their hands. That's why hold a patent today means 'to have the legal right' to an invention.