1
as in halves
either of a pair matched in one or more qualities
have you seen the mate to this glove anywhere?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in partners
the person to whom another is married
they vowed to each other that they would remain mates for life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in sleeps
to engage in sexual intercourse
cats conceive almost every time they mate
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The battle between district mates Birdville and Denton for the 5A Division I Region I title might be the highest-profile game in the Dallas area.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
There’s true-true mates, and there’s nature made a mistake.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Being mates doesn’t guarantee compatibility or love.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
And while the lifestyle of a full-time sport fisherman isn’t for everyone—pre-dawn mornings and long days on the water—the captains and mates of the Outer Banks’ charter fleets ensure that fishing is for everyone.
—Brian Higgins, Outside, 2 Mar. 2026
When an organism carrying a gene drive mates with a wild-type organism, the CRISPR system makes a cut in the wild-type chromosome.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 27 Feb. 2026
Her cast mates praised her handling of the situation and for getting her son help.
—Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
During this time, the animals are constantly moving around in search of mates and food sources.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
Noun
Then, though, the VAR crew got involved, with Bankes being urged to take a second look at a foul, which had led to wide-eyed protests from Garnacho’s team-mates, on the pitchside TV screen that had been installed during the week.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The battle between district mates Birdville and Denton for the 5A Division I Region I title might be the highest-profile game in the Dallas area.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
There’s true-true mates, and there’s nature made a mistake.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026
Being mates doesn’t guarantee compatibility or love.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
And while the lifestyle of a full-time sport fisherman isn’t for everyone—pre-dawn mornings and long days on the water—the captains and mates of the Outer Banks’ charter fleets ensure that fishing is for everyone.
—Brian Higgins, Outside, 2 Mar. 2026
When an organism carrying a gene drive mates with a wild-type organism, the CRISPR system makes a cut in the wild-type chromosome.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 27 Feb. 2026
Her cast mates praised her handling of the situation and for getting her son help.
—Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
During this time, the animals are constantly moving around in search of mates and food sources.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
Noun
-
However, unlike its predecessor, the Jiffy 75’s two halves retain a more familiar key layout, making it a lot more approachable for newcomers to ergonomic keyboards.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The 40-40 club Adebayo is the first player in the NBA’s play-by-play era — dating back to the start of the 1996-97 season — to have 40 points in both halves of a game.—
Tim Reynolds,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some of Epstein’s associates appeared to joke about the prospect of his victims swimming away.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Many of the assets are not in his own name, but instead held through a web of intermediaries, offshore companies, and business associates, Bloomberg reported.—
Emma Graham,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, even tech pros seem to be struggling to control their AI assistants at times.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
-
That’s the tax paid for having so much success, as other teams will want to hire away your assistants.—
Connor Riley,
AJC.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
It's only been a year and a half since the Lues became partners in the discipline of ice dance.—
Krystle Rich,
CBS News,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His father bought him the plane ticket after Jeffrey found himself in a bit of a boredom rut with friends and getting into the wrong kind of trouble.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Messi’s presence drew Julio Gonzalez of Lansdowne and two friends to the game.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kristin Barker lives on the North Side in a home that sleeps 14 people and she's also listed the property as a rental.—
John Shumway,
CBS News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Poor sleep affects everyone Ninety-five percent of all caregivers agreed that good sleep is essential to overall family function, and nearly 80% said their own sleep suffers when their child sleeps poorly, the poll found.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Enables agent‑to-agent communication so AVA companions can coordinate end-to-end tasks across users, including proposing meeting times, booking calendars, and confirming schedules.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
-
One-third of teens already prefer AI companions over humans for serious conversations, according to a 2025 survey conducted by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate age-appropriate media choices.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
By analyzing the sizes, temperatures and compositions of these nearby solar twins, Taniguchi, Takuji Tsujimoto at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and their colleagues were able to estimate the stars' ages.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
12 Mar. 2026
-
That letter was signed by several of Valladares’ colleagues, including Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones, R-Santee.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mates. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
