1
2
: a deck officer on a merchant ship ranking below the captain
3
: one of a pair: such as
a
: either member of a couple and especially a married couple
b
: either member of a breeding pair of animals
c
: either of two matched objects
mated; mating
variants
or mate
1
: a tealike beverage drunk especially in South America
2
: a South American shrub or tree (Ilex paraguariensis) of the holly family whose leaves and shoots are used in making maté
also
: these leaves and shoots
Synonyms
Examples of mate in a Sentence
Noun (2)
have you seen the mate to this glove anywhere?
that lout and his mates are known troublemakers in the neighborhood
a plumber and his mate showed up to fix the sink in our London hotel room
they vowed to each other that they would remain mates for life
spent the weekend in London with some of his mates from Oxford
Verb (2)
cats conceive almost every time they mate
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024
The noise and splash created by a breaching shark or ray might catch the attention of a nearby individual, signaling readiness to mate.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Fictional species such as triffids aside, plants can't physically move from place to place in order to mate with one another.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024
Denisovans interbred with Neandertals, and both mated with modern humans.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2024
Eun wanted to mate with Ash to repopulate the world while Hanna was tasked with killing Carol.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 6 Oct. 2024
The mill is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that routes its 246 hp to all four wheels, though the general consensus is the car is much more potent than that.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2024
Autumn also marks the fall elk rut—aka mating—season, where the park will enforce meadow closures to protect these creatures.
—Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
In these privileged clans, a few dominant male rats mated with (and protected) a larger number of females.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2024
Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' vice presidential running mate, earns a six figure salary as governor of Minnesota, but his net worth is on par with that of the typical American family, according to a federal disclosure form filed in August.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024
Both candidates and their vice presidential running mates have combatively campaigned in Arizona in the weeks leading up to the election.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024
Vance's comments are notable given that his running mate, former President Donald Trump, has also sent mix messages on the COVID-19 vaccine.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
Harris’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), will also campaign on Friday in Michigan.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said the campaign’s message of unity was not undercut by Biden’s words.
—Will Weissert, Twin Cities, 31 Oct. 2024
Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, returned to Erie to hammer home the Republican ticket's message to voters on Saturday, attacked his Democratic opponents on issues including the economy and immigration.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, represents an alternative that closely resembles the gentle guys who’ve taken over our screens.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
Photo : Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC The 5.2-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024
The noise and splash created by a breaching shark or ray might catch the attention of a nearby individual, signaling readiness to mate.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
Fictional species such as triffids aside, plants can't physically move from place to place in order to mate with one another.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2024
Denisovans interbred with Neandertals, and both mated with modern humans.
—Daniel Vergano, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2024
Eun wanted to mate with Ash to repopulate the world while Hanna was tasked with killing Carol.
—Charlie Mason, TVLine, 6 Oct. 2024
The mill is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox that routes its 246 hp to all four wheels, though the general consensus is the car is much more potent than that.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2024
Autumn also marks the fall elk rut—aka mating—season, where the park will enforce meadow closures to protect these creatures.
—Michele Herrmann, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024
In these privileged clans, a few dominant male rats mated with (and protected) a larger number of females.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
Noun
Also, Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, will both be in the state Friday, as well as Harris' running mate, Tim Walz.
—Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2024
Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' vice presidential running mate, earns a six figure salary as governor of Minnesota, but his net worth is on par with that of the typical American family, according to a federal disclosure form filed in August.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 Nov. 2024
Both candidates and their vice presidential running mates have combatively campaigned in Arizona in the weeks leading up to the election.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024
Vance's comments are notable given that his running mate, former President Donald Trump, has also sent mix messages on the COVID-19 vaccine.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2024
Harris’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), will also campaign on Friday in Michigan.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said the campaign’s message of unity was not undercut by Biden’s words.
—Will Weissert, Twin Cities, 31 Oct. 2024
Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, returned to Erie to hammer home the Republican ticket's message to voters on Saturday, attacked his Democratic opponents on issues including the economy and immigration.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
Kamala Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, represents an alternative that closely resembles the gentle guys who’ve taken over our screens.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 30 Oct. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mate
Cite this Entry
“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mate
1 of 3 noun1
b
: an assistant worker : helper
plumber's mate
2
: a deck officer on a merchant ship ranking below the captain
3
a
: either member of a married couple
b
: one of a breeding pair of animals
a dove and its mate
c
: either of two matched objects
the mate to a glove
mate
2 of 3 verb
mated; mating
1
: to join or fit together
2
a
: to bring or come together as mates
especially
: marry entry 1 sense 1
b
: to provide a mate for
3
: copulate
maté
3 of 3 noun
ma·té
variants
or mate
: a fragrant beverage made from the leaves and shoots of a South American shrub or tree related to the hollies
also
: this shrub or tree or its leaves and shoots
Medical Definition
mate
1 of 2 verb
mated; mating
: to pair or join for breeding
maté
2 of 2 noun
ma·té
variants
or mate
1
: an aromatic beverage used chiefly in South America and especially in Paraguay that has stimulant properties like those of coffee
2
: a South American holly (Ilex paraguayensis) whose leaves and shoots are used in making maté
also
: these leaves and shoots
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