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
Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Or, joking around with cruise staff, fans as well as his fellow industry mates.
—Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
While filming the new Ryan Murphy legal drama All's Fair, the actress, 78, and her cast mates held a screening of the movie at star Kim Kardashian's mom Kris Jenner’s home.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
As promised, the memoir focuses on the years 1977 to 1980, when Robertson became close pals and housemates with director Martin Scorsese, more entrenched in the Hollywood community and less with his former mates in the Band.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
The 49ers’ coaches won’t like that Bethune and his mates couldn’t put away Dart and a weaponless Giants offense late in the game.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
After lunch, Tracy and I walked back to the hotel to meet Paola Ramos, our Peruvian guide, and our new tour mates in the lobby.
—Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
Bugling for mates at dawn and dusk.
—Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Or, joking around with cruise staff, fans as well as his fellow industry mates.
—Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
While filming the new Ryan Murphy legal drama All's Fair, the actress, 78, and her cast mates held a screening of the movie at star Kim Kardashian's mom Kris Jenner’s home.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
As promised, the memoir focuses on the years 1977 to 1980, when Robertson became close pals and housemates with director Martin Scorsese, more entrenched in the Hollywood community and less with his former mates in the Band.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
The 49ers’ coaches won’t like that Bethune and his mates couldn’t put away Dart and a weaponless Giants offense late in the game.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
After lunch, Tracy and I walked back to the hotel to meet Paola Ramos, our Peruvian guide, and our new tour mates in the lobby.
—Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mates
Noun
-
Arrange bourbon pecan halves on top.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Coaches between the two teams agreed that, instead of a customary five-minute break between the two halves of extra time, both teams would switch halves and resume play almost immediately.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Reformation’s retail outposts then become places for customers to socialize, try on clothes, interact with associates, serving as brand conversion hubs.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
6 Nov. 2025
-
According to the press release, the park employed about 70 full-time associates.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Nursing assistants, some paid just $11 an hour, were offered a few extra dollars an hour to work upstairs, potentially putting their lives and their families at risk.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The proposal may also open the door for similar laws in other high-risk areas, such as mental health bots and educational assistants.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
For example, emotion AI (when AI identifies human emotions) can help people with difficulty identifying emotions make sense of their meeting partners on video conferencing platforms like Zoom.—
Rachel Curry,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Family members, friends, and contemporaries in the industry have been posting tributes following the news.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The idea has come up in internal BBC News meetings and been ventilated on BBC airwaves by friends of the corporation like David Yelland, once a key figure in the Murdoch empire and now a communications specialist with his own BBC podcast.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Nomadnest Modern Tiny House on Wheels Nomadnest’s Modern Tiny House on Wheels sleeps up to six people for a comfortable, spacious twist on tiny living.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Not so in this jaw-dropping A-frame that sleeps 10 of your luckiest pals.—
Lori Keong,
Architectural Digest,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Pine Ridge, South Dakota — A four-pack of rez dogs trotted toward the lone grocery store, greeting and tailing human companions in hopes of a spare scrap.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Google Gemini and ChatGPT are both found in the classroom and in the workplace, and don’t, for the most part, purport to be companions.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Beginning in 2012, my colleagues and I helped thousands of interdisciplinary teams at IBM become more entrepreneurial, more agile, and more customer-focused.—
Phil Gilbert,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Some of their most politically vulnerable members are returning to Washington desperate to keep colleagues in both chambers from losing interest in immediate results.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
12 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mates. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share