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
Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
The company's plan is to mate the second and first stages of the rocket and add the payload fairing with the spacecraft inside of it before conducting a short hot fire test of the first stage.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2024
Alex mating with an Italian trapeze jaguar is only the tip of the weird-joke iceberg.
15.
—Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
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
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Trump's running mate JD Vance spoke in August at a fundraiser in Lexington, but the GOP pair did not host any public campaign events in the Bluegrass State either.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024
Vance held a rally in his hometown of Middletown shortly after he was named Trump's running mate.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
As their territory shrinks, saolas are forced into smaller, isolated populations, reducing their chances to find mates and maintain the genetic diversity necessary for survival.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Surrogates from both campaigns, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff, Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have visited the district to shore up support for both candidates.
—Maya Marchel Hoff, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Rogan also interviewed with Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
Day jobs The Democratic nominee for president spent most of her adult life in government, starting out as district attorney in San Francisco, before serving as California's attorney general and then as a U.S. senator before becoming President Joe Biden's running mate in 2020.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
On October 29, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Kennedy's request to take his name, along with that of his running mate Nicole Shanahan, off the ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
One current method used for mosquito control is called the sterile insect technique, which works by releasing many sterile males to mate with females, who tend to mate with only one partner.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
The company's plan is to mate the second and first stages of the rocket and add the payload fairing with the spacecraft inside of it before conducting a short hot fire test of the first stage.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2024
Alex mating with an Italian trapeze jaguar is only the tip of the weird-joke iceberg.
15.
—Sean Malin, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
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
Noun
As Trump’s running mate JD Vance has demonstrated, there is only one way to answer those questions that Trump will accept.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Trump's running mate JD Vance spoke in August at a fundraiser in Lexington, but the GOP pair did not host any public campaign events in the Bluegrass State either.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 6 Nov. 2024
Vance held a rally in his hometown of Middletown shortly after he was named Trump's running mate.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024
As their territory shrinks, saolas are forced into smaller, isolated populations, reducing their chances to find mates and maintain the genetic diversity necessary for survival.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Surrogates from both campaigns, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff, Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have visited the district to shore up support for both candidates.
—Maya Marchel Hoff, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024
Rogan also interviewed with Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
Day jobs The Democratic nominee for president spent most of her adult life in government, starting out as district attorney in San Francisco, before serving as California's attorney general and then as a U.S. senator before becoming President Joe Biden's running mate in 2020.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024
On October 29, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Kennedy's request to take his name, along with that of his running mate Nicole Shanahan, off the ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near mate
Cite this Entry
“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate. Accessed 21 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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