mates 1 of 2

noun

plural of mate
1
as in halves
either of a pair matched in one or more qualities have you seen the mate to this glove anywhere?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in associates
a person frequently seen in the company of another that lout and his mates are known troublemakers in the neighborhood

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3
as in assistants
chiefly British a person who helps a more skilled person a plumber and his mate showed up to fix the sink in our London hotel room

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4
as in partners
the person to whom another is married they vowed to each other that they would remain mates for life

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in friends
chiefly British a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another spent the weekend in London with some of his mates from Oxford

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

mates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of mate
as in sleeps
to engage in sexual intercourse cats conceive almost every time they mate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mates
Noun
Once confined to the Southeast, lone star ticks spread from Maine to Oklahoma in recent years as the climate warmed and as a decline in hunting led to an explosive growth in the number of whitetail deer, where lone stars find mates and breed. — Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 There were several Libya team-mates racing forward to join the attack, outnumbering Tunisia. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 During the mating season, males gather in choruses and call to attract mates. — Claire Therese Hemingway, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 The bears, which are normally solitary creatures, can be picky when choosing mates, and females are only in heat for one to three days each year. — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
In addition to that, the company’s next car, the Tourbillon, will be its first to feature the company’s new hybrid powertrain, which mates a three-foot-long, naturally aspirated V-16 with a trio of electric motors. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 17 July 2026 His rotation mates Jameson Taillon (20) and Shota Imanaga (17) have given up the most in the majors. — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026 The centre-forward is increasingly aware of these situations, positioning himself correctly or attacking the right space to offer his team-mates an option when City are attacking the wide areas. — Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mates
  1. halves
  2. associates
  3. assistants
  4. partners
  5. friends
  6. sleeps
  7. companions
  8. colleagues
Noun
  • Two budgets, two vendor lists, two review processes and often two teams reporting to the same CISO, answering different halves of the same question.
    — Aviv Mussinger, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Dissolving Lines The traditional separation between news outlets’ editorial and business halves has been facing pressure from both sides of that line.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of halves
Noun
  • Until today, human scientists have been the agents responsible for discovering cancer cures, and for doing so they (and key associates) have been showered with academic credit and awards, perhaps even a Nobel Prize.
    — Jeffrey S. Flier, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The outlet reported that Jamal pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars from at least six Feeding Our Future associates convicted in connection to the sprawling fraud scheme.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of associates
Noun
  • Unlike ordinary reporting tools, this platform also tracks actual financial results by providing revenue attribution at the SKU level to show which products consumers discover and purchase through the use of AI assistants.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Retailers can start by testing how products appear when shoppers ask AI assistants questions in their own words, and measuring results product by product.
    — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of assistants
Noun
  • The Islamic Scholarship Fund, New York production and post house Lost in Space, and Aneesa Talks, which filmmaker Aneesa Khan founded to support South Asian and Muslim creatives, have also signed on as partners.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Toyota plans to provide research access through the University of Michigan Electric Vehicle Center, allowing other research partners to use its battery testing and evaluation capabilities.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of partners
Noun
  • Likewise, tipping can make settling up uncomfortable when dining out with friends.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Bottaro, 38, who works at Charter Oak Financial and Lawlor, 36, who works at Voya, became friends as students at CCSU.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of friends
Verb
  • No matter what’s on the agenda this season, here’s what to wear in the city that never sleeps.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The program has five types of fabric to accommodate different seasons and whether the child sleeps hot or sleeps cool, helping parents make a choice while also offering design choices for kids to select from.
    — David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleeps
Noun
  • Galloping Out horses have been adopted for dressage, polo, for children with developmental disabilities, for trail riding, or simply as companions.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • His companions managed to drive the animal away and provide first aid before transporting him by boat to the village of Toora-Khem.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of companions
Noun
  • Its inclusion in the corridors of power is characteristic of the 52-year-old executive, whom colleagues describe as committed, charismatic and down-to-earth.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Alongside learning the requirements of a new role and meeting new colleagues, those moving internationally must also adapt to a new culture and potentially learn a new language.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of colleagues

Browse Nearby Words

maters
mates
matey
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Cite this Entry

“Mates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mates. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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