plural partners
1
: someone's husband or wife or the person someone has sexual relations with
His partner, his wife of 20 years, was shocked to hear about his accident.
marital/sexual/same-sex partners
2
: one of two or more people, businesses, etc., that work together or do business together
They are partners in the real estate business.
law partners
Singapore's most important trading partner is Indonesia.
She was a senior partner at the Wall Street firm.
3
: someone who participates in an activity or game with another person
We were each assigned a partner for the project.
a golf/tennis/dance partner
partners; partnered; partnering
: to be or become a partner : to join with someone or something as a partner
The sporting goods store partnered with the newspaper to sponsor the road race.
She partnered with her sister, and they opened a candy shop together.
The teacher partnered [=paired] me with Susan for the project.
—usually used as (be) partneredI was partnered with her in the tournament. [=we were partners in the tournament]
Cite this Entry
“Partner.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/partner. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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