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⇱ mating - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

mating

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈmætɪŋ/

From the verb mate: (⇒ conjugate)
mating is: ⓘClick the infinitive to see all available inflections
v pres p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mate1 /meɪt/USA pronunciation   n., v., mat•ed, mat•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. a husband or wife;
    spouse.
  2. a sexual partner of an animal:studying how baboons and their mates interact.
  3. one of a pair:a mate of a glove.
  4. [Chiefly Brit.]friend;
    buddy;
    chum (often used as a friendly term of address):Well, mate, let's get going.
  5. a rank below a ship's captain:the first mate.
  6. This word is used after a root or word with the meaning "a person who shares'':an office-mate (= someone sharing an office);a roommate (= someone sharing a room).

v. 
  1. to (cause to) have sexual relations in order to breed, as animals: [no object]Those animals mate in the fall.[~ + object]Researchers tried to mate the female with the male.
mat•ing, adj. [before a noun]the mating season, when animals display their courtship behavior.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
mate1  (māt),USA pronunciation n., v., mat•ed, mat•ing. 
n. 
  1. husband or wife;
    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. [Naut.]
    • NauticalSee first mate. 
    • Nauticalany of a number of officers of varying degrees of rank subordinate to the master of a merchant ship.
    • Nauticalan 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.

v.t. 
  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.

v.i. 
  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. Mechanics(of a gear, rack, or worm) to engage with another gear or worm;
    mesh.
  6. [Archaic.]to consort;
    keep company.
  • Middle Low German; replacing Middle English mette, Old English gemetta messmate, guest. See meat
  • Middle English 1350–1400
mate′less, adj. 

mate2  (māt),USA pronunciation n., v.t., mat•ed, mat•ing, interj. [Chess.]
  1. Chesscheckmate (defs. 1, 3, 5).
  • Old French
  • Middle English mat defeated (adjective, adjectival), defeat (noun, nominal) 1175–1225

ma•te3  (mä′tā, mat′ā),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Plant Biologymaté.

ma•té  (mä′tā, mat′ā, mä tā′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Fooda tealike South American beverage made from the dried leaves of an evergreen tree.
  2. Plant Biologya South American tree, Ilex paraguariensis, that is the source of this beverage.
  3. Plant Biologythe dried leaves of this tree. Also, mate. Also called Paraguay tea, yerba maté. 
  • Quechua mati
  • American Spanish mate, origin, originally the vessel in which the herb is steeped
  • 1710–20

Mat.E., 
  1. Materials Engineer.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mate /meɪt/ n
  1. the sexual partner of an animal
  2. a marriage partner
    • informal chiefly Brit Austral NZ a friend, usually of the same gender: often used between males in direct address
    • (in combination) an associate, colleague, fellow sharer, etc: a classmate, a flatmate
  4. one of a pair of matching items
  5. any officer below the master on a commercial ship
  6. (in some trades) an assistant: a plumber's mate
 vb
  1. to pair (a male and female animal) or (of animals) to pair for reproduction
  2. to marry or join in marriage
  3. (transitive) to join as a pair; match
Etymology: 14th Century: from Middle Low German; related to Old English gemetta table-guest, from mete meat
mate /meɪt/ n , vb
'mating' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
In Lists: VOCAB., more...
Collocations: mating [birds, animals, season], the mating of [baboons, zebras, dogs, horses, birds, animals], [study, observe] mating among [baboons], more...

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