mate

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈmāt 

mated; mating

transitive verb

: checkmate sense 2

mate

2 of 5

noun (1)

: checkmate sense 1

mate

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

a(1)

: associate, companion

(2)

chiefly British : an assistant to a more skilled worker : helper

(3)

chiefly British : friend, buddy

—often used as a familiar form of address

b

archaic : match, peer

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

mate

4 of 5

verb (2)

mated; mating

transitive verb

1

archaic : equal, match

2

: to join or fit together : couple

3

a

: to join together as mates

b

: to provide a mate for

intransitive verb

1

: to become mated

gears that mate well

2

: copulate

maté

5 of 5

noun (3)

ma·​té ˈmä-ˌtā 

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

Noun (2)

• companion
• fellow
• half
• match
• twin

Verb (2)

• breed
• copulate
• sleep

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

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French mater, from mat, noun, checkmate, ultimately from Arabic māt (in shāh māt)

Noun (2)

Middle English, probably from Middle Low German māt; akin to Old English gemetta guest at one's table, mete food — more at meat

Noun (3)

French & American Spanish; French maté, from American Spanish mate maté, vessel for drinking it, from Quechua mati vessel

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb (2)

1509, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (3)

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mate

• aerographer's mate
• age-mate
• cell mate
• first mate
• mate for life
• running mate
• soul mate

Kids Definition

mate

1 of 3 noun

ˈmāt 

1

a

: associate entry 2 sense 1, companion

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

ˈmä-ˌtā 

: 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

ˈmāt 

mated; mating

transitive verb

: to pair or join for breeding

intransitive verb

: copulate

maté

2 of 2 noun

ma·​té

variants or mate

ˈmä-ˌtā 

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