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
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
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
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 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
Dictionary Entries Near mate
Cite this Entry
“Mate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate. Accessed 28 Nov. 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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