Advertisement

View synonyms for mate

mate

1

[ meyt ]

noun

  1. a partner in marriage; spouse.
  2. one member of a pair of mated animals.
  3. one of a pair:

    I can't find the mate to this glove.

  4. a counterpart.
  5. an associate; fellow worker; comrade; partner (often used in combination):

    classmate; roommate.

  6. friend; buddy; pal (often used as an informal term of address):

    Let me give you a hand with that, mate.

  7. Nautical.
    1. any of a number of officers of varying degrees of rank subordinate to the master of a merchant ship.
    2. an assistant to a warrant officer or other functionary on a ship.
  8. an aide or helper, as to an artisan; factotum.
  9. a gear, rack, or worm engaging with another gear or worm.
  10. Archaic. an equal in reputation; peer; match.


verb (used with object)

, mat·ed, mat·ing.
  1. to join as a mate or as mates.
  2. to bring (animals) together for breeding purposes.
  3. to match or marry.
  4. to join, fit, or associate suitably:

    to mate thought with daring action.

  5. to connect or link:

    a telephone system mated to a computerized information service.

  6. to treat as comparable.

verb (used without object)

, mat·ed, mat·ing.
  1. to associate as a mate or as mates.
  2. (of animals) to copulate.
  3. (of animals) to pair for the purpose of breeding.
  4. to marry.
  5. (of a gear, rack, or worm) to engage with another gear or worm; mesh.
  6. Archaic. to consort; keep company.

mate

2

[ meyt ]

noun

, mat·ed, mat·ing,

mate

3

[ mah-tey, mat-ey ]

noun

  1. a tealike South American beverage made from the dried leaves of an evergreen tree.
  2. a South American tree, Ilex paraguariensis, that is the source of this beverage.
  3. the dried leaves of this tree.

maté

1

/ ˈmɑːteɪ; ˈmæteɪ /

noun

  1. an evergreen tree, Ilex paraguariensis, cultivated in South America for its leaves, which contain caffeine: family Aquifoliaceae
  2. a stimulating milky beverage made from the dried leaves of this tree


mate

2

/ meɪt /

noun

  1. chess See checkmate

mate

3

/ meɪt /

noun

  1. the sexual partner of an animal
  2. a marriage partner
    1. a friend, usually of the same sex: often used between males in direct address
    2. in combination an associate, colleague, fellow sharer, etc

      a classmate

      a flatmate

  3. one of a pair of matching items
  4. nautical
    1. short for first mate
    2. any officer below the master on a commercial ship
    3. a warrant officer's assistant on a ship
  5. (in some trades) an assistant

    a plumber's mate

  6. archaic.
    a suitable associate
  7. mate rates slang.
    mate rates the reduced rate charged for work done for a friend

verb

  1. to pair (a male and female animal) or (of animals) to pair for reproduction
  2. to marry or join in marriage
  3. tr to join as a pair; match

Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈmateless, adjective

Discover More

Other Words From

  • mateless adjective

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of mate1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English mate, maite “friend, companion, shipmate, mate (ship's officer), fellow creature,” from Middle Low German mate, gemate “messmate”, replacing Middle English mette, mete “table companion, messmate, partner,” Old English gemetta “messmate, guest”; meat

Origin of mate2

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb maten, matein, matten “to checkmate, defeat,” from Old French mater, ultimately from Persian; checkmate

Origin of mate3

First recorded in 1710–20; from American Spanish, from Quechua mati, the calabash gourd in which the herb is steeped

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of mate1

C18: from American Spanish (originally referring to the vessel in which the drink was brewed), from Quechua máti gourd

Origin of mate2

C14: from Middle Low German; related to Old English gemetta table-guest, from mete meat

Discover More

Example Sentences

And then I said, ‘Well, chief, when the admiral comes aboard, the first mate has to pipe him in.’

When they invade new territory, populations are low, and the queen has limited mate options.

Mating with a cousin or brother is safer than risking life and limb to mate with an outsider.

Sure, your cubicle mate, neighbor, and aunt all own a Fitbit or JawBone fitness tracker.

The boy feels rejected and confused, and then hits on a Christmas morning solution, delivering a penguin mate for his penguin.

When he returned to the hotel he kissed his incongruous room-mate with the gentleness of a woman.

A ghostly mate would be no very pleasant bridegroom for a young lady.

He laughed at her, and told her that he had abandoned the modern method of winning a mate, and gone back to the primitive mode.

Her husband always called her the Bo'sun's Mate in Camp, because it was her duty, among others, to pipe all hands to meals.

Once more I began to realize that I was human, and to cast about for the mate that must surely be roaming in search of me.

Advertisement

Word of the Day

axolotl

[ak-suh-lot-l ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


matchy-matchymatelassé