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
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2025
Clash of the Titans by Svetlana Ivanenko Russian photographer Svetlana Ivanenko impressed the judges with her striking photo of two male stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) duking it out for mating rights in an oak forest.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
Both sexes give a rapid series of drums that communicate their desire to mate or chase away other woodpeckers.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Interestingly, following and biting behavior did not result in the pair actually mating.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
Fully restored in 1999, its inline six-cylinder makes 215 horsepower which is mated to a 4-speed gearbox.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
Male medaka continue to mate with females despite sperm depletion R. Soc.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
The team repeated this process until the male failed to mate with the three females in a row.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 8 Jan. 2025
There's a diesel engine that offers similar power or for those after further oomph, there's also a 190 bhp option that's mated to a 4WD system.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
Zoom in: The Glendale plant will produce several of Nestlé's creamer brands, including Coffee mate, natural bliss and Starbucks Coffee At Home.
—Jessica Boehm, Axios, 28 Jan. 2025
Lil Wayne will be hitting the road next month for a mini-tour featuring his Hot Boys group mates, a continuation of the reunion shows the legendary quartet appeared for throughout 2024, particularly at Wayne’s Lil’ WeezyAna Festival.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The big man is one of the best defensive centers in the entire league and could give this team a legitimate running mate next to star Anthony Davis.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
Video shows one of Robinson’s travel mates beating on a naked Robinson.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2025
Nonetheless, this transition to the enormous midnight zone brought new challenges, including introducing vast distances between potential mates.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025
She was floated as a possible running mate for Trump before a controversial anecdote from her memoir appeared to dull her chances.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
Noem became a regular presence in Trump’s orbit in recent years and at one point was in consideration as his running mate.
—Rebecca Santana and Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
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
The mill is mated to a 10-speed automatic and produces a maximum 409 hp and 479 ft lbs of torque.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2025
Clash of the Titans by Svetlana Ivanenko Russian photographer Svetlana Ivanenko impressed the judges with her striking photo of two male stag beetles (Lucanus cervus) duking it out for mating rights in an oak forest.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
Both sexes give a rapid series of drums that communicate their desire to mate or chase away other woodpeckers.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Interestingly, following and biting behavior did not result in the pair actually mating.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
Fully restored in 1999, its inline six-cylinder makes 215 horsepower which is mated to a 4-speed gearbox.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
Male medaka continue to mate with females despite sperm depletion R. Soc.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
The team repeated this process until the male failed to mate with the three females in a row.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 8 Jan. 2025
There's a diesel engine that offers similar power or for those after further oomph, there's also a 190 bhp option that's mated to a 4WD system.
—Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
During his campaign for president, largely backed by his Silicon Valley running mate Nicole Shanahan and Trump supporter Timothy Mellon, Kennedy emphasized his anti-corporate stance.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
Zoom in: The Glendale plant will produce several of Nestlé's creamer brands, including Coffee mate, natural bliss and Starbucks Coffee At Home.
—Jessica Boehm, Axios, 28 Jan. 2025
Lil Wayne will be hitting the road next month for a mini-tour featuring his Hot Boys group mates, a continuation of the reunion shows the legendary quartet appeared for throughout 2024, particularly at Wayne’s Lil’ WeezyAna Festival.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The big man is one of the best defensive centers in the entire league and could give this team a legitimate running mate next to star Anthony Davis.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
Video shows one of Robinson’s travel mates beating on a naked Robinson.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 24 Jan. 2025
Nonetheless, this transition to the enormous midnight zone brought new challenges, including introducing vast distances between potential mates.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025
She was floated as a possible running mate for Trump before a controversial anecdote from her memoir appeared to dull her chances.
—Julia Mueller, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
Noem became a regular presence in Trump’s orbit in recent years and at one point was in consideration as his running mate.
—Rebecca Santana and Stephen Groves, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Dictionary Entries Near mate
Cite this Entry
“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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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