pair off
phrasal verb
paired off; pairing off; pairs off
1
: to join together in a romantic relationship
He hated being single while his friends were pairing off and having kids.
2
: to join or to cause others to join to form a group of two
People paired off for the next dance.
She paired the students off.
Examples of pair off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So the beachgoers paired off to prepare some material.
—
Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Two of them have already paired off, their knees touching in the corner.
—Evan Sterrett, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023
In a one-to-one case of partner-swapping, Ryann and James were each paired off with the respective half of another couple, Trey and Riah, in episode one.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 27 Aug. 2023
No one paired off or hooked up; Rebecca had a boyfriend back home, and anyway that wasn’t the point.
—Polly Stewart, Good Housekeeping, 11 July 2023
Running back Ruth Matta scored three touchdowns and Katie Falkowski tallied on a pair off TD runs in a runaway performance.
—Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2023
One of the most divisive aspects of the series, even among fans, was its conventional dénouement: Carrie ends up with Big, and all the other protagonists happily pair off with men.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
The letter writer sought guidance about how to navigate the aftermath of the breakup, particularly as the members of the throuple continued to pair off in different configurations.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2023
The primate wing of the group is only slightly more prone to pairing off.
—Blake Edgar, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
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Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Two of them have already paired off, their knees touching in the corner.
—Evan Sterrett, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023
In a one-to-one case of partner-swapping, Ryann and James were each paired off with the respective half of another couple, Trey and Riah, in episode one.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 27 Aug. 2023
No one paired off or hooked up; Rebecca had a boyfriend back home, and anyway that wasn’t the point.
—Polly Stewart, Good Housekeeping, 11 July 2023
Running back Ruth Matta scored three touchdowns and Katie Falkowski tallied on a pair off TD runs in a runaway performance.
—Kat Cornetta, BostonGlobe.com, 24 June 2023
One of the most divisive aspects of the series, even among fans, was its conventional dénouement: Carrie ends up with Big, and all the other protagonists happily pair off with men.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
The letter writer sought guidance about how to navigate the aftermath of the breakup, particularly as the members of the throuple continued to pair off in different configurations.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2023
The primate wing of the group is only slightly more prone to pairing off.
—Blake Edgar, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pair off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Pair off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pair%20off. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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