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
New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2025
The hybrid engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with a four-wheel drive system boasting all the off-road goodies—locking center differential, low-range gearing, a crawl-control system, and hill-descent control.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
While the fleas die in the human gut, Guinea worms—which are impervious to stomach acid—survive and start mating.
—Charles Schmidt, Scientific American, 29 Dec. 2024
Species Survival Plans might call for, among other things, an animal to move to a new zoo to mate with their own kind.
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024
The mill is equipped with an aluminum intake, and dual four-barrell carburetors and is mated to a four-speed manual.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Dec. 2024
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
Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Jan. 2025
Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a senator from Ohio after being tapped to be Trump's running mate, was seated in the front row during the count.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 6 Jan. 2025
Boone, 37, not only landed a part in the Disney prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, but was cast as central figure Sarabi, the queen of Pride Rock, otherwise known as Mufasa’s mate (and Simba’s future mom).
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2025
When his Sass Jordan band mate gave Hawkins the Deconstruction cassette in 1994, the 20-something flipped.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
The other two candidates included Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Harris’ running mate and Republican JD Vance, President-elect Donald Trump’s running mate.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
In the vast emptiness of the deep sea, finding a mate is no small feat.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
How about the random sock that came out of the dryer without a mate?
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Verb
It is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and a rear-wheel drive setup.
—New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2025
The hybrid engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with a four-wheel drive system boasting all the off-road goodies—locking center differential, low-range gearing, a crawl-control system, and hill-descent control.
—Michael Harley, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
While the fleas die in the human gut, Guinea worms—which are impervious to stomach acid—survive and start mating.
—Charles Schmidt, Scientific American, 29 Dec. 2024
Species Survival Plans might call for, among other things, an animal to move to a new zoo to mate with their own kind.
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024
The mill is equipped with an aluminum intake, and dual four-barrell carburetors and is mated to a four-speed manual.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Dec. 2024
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
Noun
Pence, who presided over the 2021 session and rejected calls from his fellow Republicans not to certify the 2020 election results, celebrated the peaceful joint session of Congress and congratulated his former running mate, President-elect Donald Trump, on his victory.
—Jack Birle, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Jan. 2025
Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a senator from Ohio after being tapped to be Trump's running mate, was seated in the front row during the count.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 6 Jan. 2025
Boone, 37, not only landed a part in the Disney prequel Mufasa: The Lion King, but was cast as central figure Sarabi, the queen of Pride Rock, otherwise known as Mufasa’s mate (and Simba’s future mom).
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2025
When his Sass Jordan band mate gave Hawkins the Deconstruction cassette in 1994, the 20-something flipped.
—Aaron Gilbreath, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024
The other two candidates included Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Harris’ running mate and Republican JD Vance, President-elect Donald Trump’s running mate.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
In the vast emptiness of the deep sea, finding a mate is no small feat.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
How about the random sock that came out of the dryer without a mate?
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024
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
Dictionary Entries Near mate
Cite this Entry
“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate. Accessed 18 Jan. 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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