Synonyms of mating

mating 1 of 2

noun

as in sex

sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis

if the mare doesn't get pregnant from this mating, you don't have to pay for the second try

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sex
• intercourse
• relations
• copulation
• breeding
• coitus
• coupling
• sexuality
• making love
• copulating
• coition
• lovemaking
• sex act
• commerce
• sexual intercourse
• sexual relations
• getting it on
• fornication
• congress
• insemination
• safe sex
• carnality
• dalliance
• hanky-panky
• whoopee

mating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mate

as in sleeping

to engage in sexual intercourse

cats conceive almost every time they mate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sleeping
• breeding
• doing it
• copulating
• having sex
• fornicating
• fooling around

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mating

Noun

These awe-inspiring animals can grow up to 20 feet long and engage in mysterious mating rituals, swimming in synchronous, ascending spirals. — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Nov. 2026

Animals’ courtship, mating and parenting can reveal behaviors people might assume are strange or unnatural. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026

The mating, or rutting, season for deer in Connecticut runs from late October to mid-December, with the peak being the last two weeks in November, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Nov. 2026

Few giant cuttlefish appeared for their species’ annual mass mating event off South Australia’s Point Lowly. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

The male worms, meanwhile, were identified by their copulatory spicules, needle-like structures used to facilitate mating. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026

Mating and Laying Eggs Spiders are also looking for mates, mating, and laying eggs in fall. — Sarah Everett, The Spruce, 23 Oct. 2026

The crab digs shallow burrows for mating and molting and frequently maintains several burrows within its territory, the USGS report states. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

The gear’s teeth and internal ribs came through clearly, as did the clip’s narrow gate and mating features. — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

Their reproductive organs can sit on opposite sides, making mating difficult. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

But though these chemicals are linked to mating in animal species, a link between pheromones and romantic attraction hasn’t been established in humans. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Wild turkeys can be particularly aggressive during mating season. — Elan Abrell, The Conversation, 22 July 2026

The females and males that develop from the pupae end up mating, which leaves the males and females in the wild to continue mating and laying eggs. — Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026

Turning the biology against the pest So researchers have begun to refine the idea rather than replace it, keeping the once-mating biology at the center but letting the insects spread the effect themselves. — Ethan Stone, AZCentral.com, 17 June 2026

The New World screwworm's larvae eat live flesh and fluids instead of dead material, with females laying their eggs in open wounds and mucous membranes after mating only once in their monthslong lives. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 June 2026

By mating with sterile flies, the females don't produce more flies and outbreaks can eventually be halted. — ABC News, 8 June 2026

By mating with sterile flies, the females don’t produce more flies and outbreaks can eventually be halted. — Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026