mate 1 of 2

noun

Definition of matenext
1
as in half
either of a pair matched in one or more qualities have you seen the mate to this glove anywhere?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in associate
a person frequently seen in the company of another that lout and his mates are known troublemakers in the neighborhood

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in assistant
chiefly British a person who helps a more skilled person a plumber and his mate showed up to fix the sink in our London hotel room

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in partner
the person to whom another is married they vowed to each other that they would remain mates for life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in friend
chiefly British a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another spent the weekend in London with some of his mates from Oxford

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

mate

2 of 2

verb

as in to sleep
to engage in sexual intercourse cats conceive almost every time they mate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mate
Noun
Let each party’s gubernatorial nominees select loyal running mates, as is done for presidential elections. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2025 Bald eagles mate for life, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, but if an eagle in the pair dies, the survivor will accept a new mate. — Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2025
Verb
To increase the chance that their genes will be passed on male flies look to mate with females that appear to have the most eggs, and are, thus, most fertile. — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 Puffin season From April to August, tens of thousands of irresistibly cute puffins land on the craggy islands off the coast of Scotland to mate. — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mate
  1. half
  2. associate
  3. assistant
  4. partner
  5. friend
  6. sleep
  7. match
  8. buddy
Noun
  • The Lions led 33-17 at halftime and kept up the intensity in the second half.
    — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2025
  • But the Tigers had few answers for the Blue Hens in the second half.
    — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of half
Noun
  • Marie Cohen is author of the blog Child Welfare Monitor and a senior project associate at Lives Cut Short.
    — Marie Cohen, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Andrew Warren, senior associate for policy and research at the Financial Health Network, who studies the financial circumstances of Americans with disabilities, said that the vast majority of people surveyed for a 2023 report by the organization did not know these accounts existed.
    — Cora Lewis, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of associate
Noun
  • Trainer led Trump's battleground states strategy in 2020 and joined the first administration as special assistant to the president and director of regional political operations.
    — Axios, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The 10 individuals initially arrested in September 2017, which included four college assistant coaches, were all relative bit players in the ecosystem.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of assistant
Noun
  • Editor’s Note: CNN Style is one of the official media partners of Paris Fashion Week.
    — Kati Chitrakorn, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The United States also hopes to establish long-term human stays on the moon by 2030 as part of the Artemis program spearheaded by NASA and joined by multiple international partners.
    — Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of partner
Noun
  • Later, one of their friends came to the house and discovered the body of one of the victims, Xana Kernodle.
    — Mike Baker, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025
  • De Agosto is where the friend group formed: Miguel, his older brother, Rifen, Fernando, Silvio De Sousa and Eric Amandio.
    — Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of friend
Verb
  • Amid a crackdown on outdoor sleeping by Miami Beach police, the city’s unsheltered homeless population was 105 in an overnight count by the Homeless Trust in January, a 31% decrease from a year earlier.
    — Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Improving sleep hygiene habits, creating a quiet and dark environment, and relaxing before bedtime can help light sleepers sleep better.
    — Carley Millhone, Health, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of sleep
Noun
  • The result means Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links GC can no longer reach the postseason ahead of the final regular season match against Atlanta Drive GC on Wednesday.
    — Ben Church, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
  • In the final, the favorites Oshiro & Howells survived a spirited match where Walczak & Kawka took game two before winning 7,(4),7.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Definition of match
Noun
  • On the high school travel circuit, Cooper Flagg eschewed the more nationally dominant club teams to suit up, along with his brother and their buddies, for Maine United.
    — Sean Gregory, TIME, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Simeon Entertainment is currently casting Lost Weekend, a buddy comedy based on a true John Lennon story directed by comedy auteur Frank Coraci (Wedding Singer).
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of buddy

Phrases Containing mate

Browse Nearby Words

mate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mate. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on mate

Nglish: Translation of mate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All