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

The Diamond Pack currently consists of a single male-female pair that officials expect to mate and produce offspring soon. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Nov. 2024

There were fish living in the ice and thousands of mating pairs of these giant crustaceans dropping out of crevices on top of us, like giant crabby spiders. —Jill Heinerth, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024

This watch uses an exceptionally rare gray dial and is mated to its square platinum case and Wellendorf bracelet, bringing the absolute best of the collection to life. —Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2024

In fact, pandas at the National Zoo have never successfully mated naturally; all panda births have been the result of artificial insemination, according to the zoo. —Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024

Asha was recaptured twice and, after failing to successfully mate, will remain at a wolf conservation center in New Mexico until next year. —Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 7 Oct. 2024

While the scene looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, its actually part of an experimental program to prevent a damaging almond pest from successfully mating. —Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024

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

Noun

Messi has long used Stanley 1913’s South American Mate System, and the athlete views mate, the official drink of his native Argentina, as a connection to his culture and sport community. —Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 22 Nov. 2024

July 15 - Trump announces Sen. JD Vance as his running mate during day one of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. —CNN, 21 Nov. 2024

In addition to label mate Tito Double P, Nuñez follows the footsteps of the eight other regional Mexican soloists who achieved a top 10 debut album this year. —Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2024

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro came third with seven percent, followed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris's 2024 running mate, with six percent each. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024

Rubio is the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2024

The question alluded to Beshear being in the conversation to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate at one point in her presidential campaign. —Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 7 Nov. 2024

Donald Trump's running mate recently sat down for a three-hour interview on Joe Rogan's podcast, and during a conversation about liberals supposedly believing that math is racist, Vance dropped a surprising confession about his film taste. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 6 Nov. 2024

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

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