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
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Dec. 2024
The main component of this exquisite beast's powertrain is a custom 4-liter twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 engine, mated to a new 8-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2024
Wisdom had previously mated consistently with an albatross, Akeakamai, who has not been seen for several years.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
Expected to pump out in excess of 200 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque, and be mated to a continuously variable transmission, the Prelude will be front-drive and rival the 228-hp Toyota GR86.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
It’s mated to a five-speed manual transaxle transmission that sends 240 horses to the rear axle.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2024
When the clouds of P. californica took flight, and mated in air, and then began dropping back onto the water, the fish fed upon them voraciously, recklessly.
—David Quammen, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024
Sea of red: Millions of red crabs travel from the forests of Australia’s Christmas Island National Park to the ocean to mate and spawn every year.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
The gearing ratios are comparable to those of the Shotgun 650, and the engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip and assist clutch.
—New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2024
Arika Herron, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
Granted, the 26-year-old was brought on board to complement fellow backfield mate, Zamir White, in what was to be a transition year for the franchise.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Harris was elected twice as California’s attorney general, in 2010 and 2014, and then won her Senate race in 2016, serving until she was selected as President Biden’s running mate in 2020.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
The behind-the-scenes footage is a goldmine for fans, featuring interviews with the singer’s A-list music video stars from Ethan Hawke and his Dead Poets Society cast mate Josh Charles to Taylor Lautner and Ice Spice.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2024
While on the red carpet, the Idol alum took pictures with her cast mates — Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin and Nicholas Hoult, as well as Eggers, 41.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Cole's co-stars Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton served as his squad mates Linc Hayes and Julie Barnes, respectively.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
Trump arguably had no better pal in global leadership circles during his 2017-2021 presidency than the late Shinzo Abe, Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party mate.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai, had returned to the atoll in the Pacific Ocean to lay and hatch eggs since 2006.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 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.
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Verb
During those years, its V-8 engine grew in displacement from 429 cubic inches to 472 cubic inches to 500 cubic inches, all mated to a three-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 13 Dec. 2024
The main component of this exquisite beast's powertrain is a custom 4-liter twin-turbo flat-plane crank V8 engine, mated to a new 8-speed Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2024
Wisdom had previously mated consistently with an albatross, Akeakamai, who has not been seen for several years.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2024
Expected to pump out in excess of 200 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque, and be mated to a continuously variable transmission, the Prelude will be front-drive and rival the 228-hp Toyota GR86.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
It’s mated to a five-speed manual transaxle transmission that sends 240 horses to the rear axle.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2024
When the clouds of P. californica took flight, and mated in air, and then began dropping back onto the water, the fish fed upon them voraciously, recklessly.
—David Quammen, Outside Online, 29 Nov. 2024
Sea of red: Millions of red crabs travel from the forests of Australia’s Christmas Island National Park to the ocean to mate and spawn every year.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 20 Nov. 2024
The gearing ratios are comparable to those of the Shotgun 650, and the engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip and assist clutch.
—New Atlas, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
The big picture: Holcomb was first elected in 2016 after incumbent Gov. Mike Pence withdrew from the race to become Donald Trump's running mate.
—Arika Herron, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
Granted, the 26-year-old was brought on board to complement fellow backfield mate, Zamir White, in what was to be a transition year for the franchise.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Harris was elected twice as California’s attorney general, in 2010 and 2014, and then won her Senate race in 2016, serving until she was selected as President Biden’s running mate in 2020.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
The behind-the-scenes footage is a goldmine for fans, featuring interviews with the singer’s A-list music video stars from Ethan Hawke and his Dead Poets Society cast mate Josh Charles to Taylor Lautner and Ice Spice.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2024
While on the red carpet, the Idol alum took pictures with her cast mates — Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin and Nicholas Hoult, as well as Eggers, 41.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
Cole's co-stars Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton served as his squad mates Linc Hayes and Julie Barnes, respectively.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
Trump arguably had no better pal in global leadership circles during his 2017-2021 presidency than the late Shinzo Abe, Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party mate.
—William Pesek, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Wisdom and her mate, Akeakamai, had returned to the atoll in the Pacific Ocean to lay and hatch eggs since 2006.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near mate
Cite this Entry
“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate. Accessed 22 Dec. 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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