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
James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026
The engine mates to Subaru’s high-torque Lineartronic CVT with an eight-speed manual shift mode.
—Tim Jackson, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
The female mates and, within a few days, lays 20 to 50 eggs.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
This is when the big ones start searching for mates, and the smaller ones try their best not to be eaten by the bigger ones, experts say.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
Each layer supports its own community of organisms, each creature making a home, foraging for food while avoiding becoming it themselves, finding mates and caring for young.
—Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
Stranger Things cast mates David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower and Noah Schnapp reunite at the show's FYSEE event on May 21 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2025
Noun
Least weekend’s pointed statement from Mohamed Salah, which was liked by a number of his team-mates, was a sign that his position was becoming untenable.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026
The engine mates to Subaru’s high-torque Lineartronic CVT with an eight-speed manual shift mode.
—Tim Jackson, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
The female mates and, within a few days, lays 20 to 50 eggs.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 28 May 2026
This is when the big ones start searching for mates, and the smaller ones try their best not to be eaten by the bigger ones, experts say.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
Each layer supports its own community of organisms, each creature making a home, foraging for food while avoiding becoming it themselves, finding mates and caring for young.
—Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
Stranger Things cast mates David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower and Noah Schnapp reunite at the show's FYSEE event on May 21 at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
—People Staff, PEOPLE, 22 May 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
-
But Harper didn’t do enough to balance his halves.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
Instead of those handle halves folding around close to 180 degrees to reveal a central set of pliers like many other Leathermans do, one of the Crunch's handles pulls out and swings downward via an internal arm to reveal the pliers, which in turn swing into position.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Bondi has repeatedly faced scrutiny over allegations that the DOJ has, over several presidential administrations, shielded Epstein associates from accountability.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Over 30 people, including members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones, have been ensnared in the criminal operation.—
Tom Winter,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
This includes value from free or low-cost digital goods such as internet search, social media, and AI assistants.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
People don’t see the work that NHL assistants do beyond the practices and games.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Clark and her partners were able to interview Nash, who left DNA on a Wingstop cup, as first reported by the San Bernardino Sun.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
-
Potential meal partners include titans of the tech industry like SK Group’s Chey Tae-won, LG Group’s Koo Kwang-mo and Naver’s Lee Hae-jin.—
Justina Lee,Lisa Kim,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, their friends are also navigating the ups and downs of love and friendship, confronting the bittersweet challenges of growing up and moving on.—
Rich Heldenfels,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
With so many of his friends and rivals stuck on shore, Botin acknowledged his lead in the standings didn’t give him the usual sense of satisfaction.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Add that tent and the $5,100 six-seat Crew Cab upgrade, and the Paragon drives and sleeps a total of six people.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 June 2026
-
Created by Mindy Kaling, it’s set in New York, the city that never sleeps, not in order to party, but to get something on somebody’s desk first thing in the morning.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
From the earliest days of civilization, animals have been human companions.—
K'mari Greene,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
-
Common travel regrets stem from preventable issues like poor planning, budget problems, and choosing the wrong companions.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the company respects its colleagues’ right to voice their opinions.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
-
Many scientists believe that the vocal systems of great apes were too limited to be considered precursors of human language, but the work of Crockford, Berthet and their colleagues suggests otherwise.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mates. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
