1
a
: a pampered and usually spoiled child
b
: a person who is treated with unusual kindness or consideration : darling
2
: a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility
1
: kept or treated as a pet
2
: expressing fondness or endearment
a pet name
3
: favorite
a pet project
petted; petting
1
a
: to treat as a pet
b
: to stroke in a gentle or loving manner
2
: to treat with unusual kindness and consideration : pamper
: to engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing : neck
petter
noun
: a fit of peevishness, sulkiness, or anger
—usually used in the phrase in a pet
resigned in a pet
petroleum
Peter
positron-emission tomography
Synonyms
Examples of pet in a Sentence
Adjective
The mayor's pet project has been the construction of a new high school.
spent my free time on my pet project
Recent Examples on the Web
Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The fact that 40 percent of the respondents opted to save their pet does not surprise me.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Despite being common enough to be pets, boa constrictors in South America have not been studied on a large scale.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Plants and pets: Your furry friends and greenery add more life to your spaces.
—Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Today, many animal-welfare groups focus on pets and livestock, while organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and the World Wildlife Fund advocate for their free-roaming brethren.
—Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Festivities will include a costume contest for folks and their pets.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Tory has helped other pet owners get back their pets’ cremains.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Three residents inside the home, as well as their pets, were uninjured.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024
Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
After Simon’s pet mice go missing, Jared discovers a boggart named Thimbletack (Jack Dylan Grazer) is wreaking havoc on the house.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Frisco police are still investigating and trying to identify the woman who took the dog from the pet store over the weekend.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Tory has helped other pet owners get back their pets’ cremains.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
That said, pet parenting does have things to teach future parents of humans.
—Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2024
Cameron Clifford’s 9-year-old son, Cal, had been begging for a pet octopus for years.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
According to the Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, pet rats are empathetic, gentle, smart and, perhaps contrary to popular belief or misconceptions, very clean.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
The analysis found similarities between pet and partner loss discussions.
—Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024
Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
But even if it had been renewed, Cavallaro had already violated rules for keeping animals classified as dangerous by letting other people pet the alligator and even get in the pool with him, the department said.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Participants may pet the snake at the end of the program.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024
In addition, the Easter Bunny will be attendance to visit with kiddies and distribute treats, and a petting farm will include baby chicks, baby goats and ducks.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024
Extremely social and outgoing, petting time is his favorite part of the day, closely followed by time to eat, play and nap (not necessarily in that order).
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024
Both 17-year-old girls have seen videos of feline judges — often petting spines and examining facial structures — and wanted to experience it first-hand.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2024
Even if that looks like sitting on the kitchen floor petting a sleeping puppy together after finishing the dishes last night.
—Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
But there’s a kind of poetic magic to the constant appearance here of wandering kitties, some of them getting scarcely a glance from Lia and Achi and others being tenderly petted.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
Noun
The mother of one then posted from the hospital over the subsequent weeks, including sharing shots of herself receiving visits from her pets, before deleting all of the photos from Instagram.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The fact that 40 percent of the respondents opted to save their pet does not surprise me.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Despite being common enough to be pets, boa constrictors in South America have not been studied on a large scale.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Plants and pets: Your furry friends and greenery add more life to your spaces.
—Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Today, many animal-welfare groups focus on pets and livestock, while organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation and the World Wildlife Fund advocate for their free-roaming brethren.
—Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Festivities will include a costume contest for folks and their pets.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Tory has helped other pet owners get back their pets’ cremains.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Three residents inside the home, as well as their pets, were uninjured.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Items listed in the trademark applications include pet products (such as shampoo, food and treats), cosmetics, home décor items, stationery, linens, wallpaper, furniture, kitchen appliances, yoga equipment, gardening gear and beach accessories.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
After Simon’s pet mice go missing, Jared discovers a boggart named Thimbletack (Jack Dylan Grazer) is wreaking havoc on the house.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Frisco police are still investigating and trying to identify the woman who took the dog from the pet store over the weekend.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
Tory has helped other pet owners get back their pets’ cremains.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
That said, pet parenting does have things to teach future parents of humans.
—Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2024
Cameron Clifford’s 9-year-old son, Cal, had been begging for a pet octopus for years.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
According to the Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, pet rats are empathetic, gentle, smart and, perhaps contrary to popular belief or misconceptions, very clean.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2024
The analysis found similarities between pet and partner loss discussions.
—Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
In one photo, Holland reaches out to pet a horse from the safety of mom's arms.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
But even if it had been renewed, Cavallaro had already violated rules for keeping animals classified as dangerous by letting other people pet the alligator and even get in the pool with him, the department said.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Participants may pet the snake at the end of the program.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024
In addition, the Easter Bunny will be attendance to visit with kiddies and distribute treats, and a petting farm will include baby chicks, baby goats and ducks.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024
Extremely social and outgoing, petting time is his favorite part of the day, closely followed by time to eat, play and nap (not necessarily in that order).
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024
Both 17-year-old girls have seen videos of feline judges — often petting spines and examining facial structures — and wanted to experience it first-hand.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2024
Even if that looks like sitting on the kitchen floor petting a sleeping puppy together after finishing the dishes last night.
—Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
But there’s a kind of poetic magic to the constant appearance here of wandering kitties, some of them getting scarcely a glance from Lia and Achi and others being tenderly petted.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pet
Cite this Entry
“Pet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pet. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pet
1 of 4 noun1
: someone given special treatment or consideration
teacher's pet
2
: a tame animal kept for pleasure rather than for use
pet
2 of 4 adjective1
: kept or treated as a pet
a pet rabbit
2
: showing fondness
a pet name
3
: favorite entry 2
my pet project
pet
4 of 4 noun
: a spell of sulkiness or anger
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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