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

Males perform complex mating flights in the late summer months and into fall (August through October) which often involve intercepting prospective partners mid-air. — Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

They’re commonly found mating, attached end-to-end while resting or even flying. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026

Mu spent five Arctic summers in far-eastern Russia, where mating pairs each have their own territory. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Fall foliage peaks here between late September and early October; this also aligns with elk mating time in the area. — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026

The famed Big 5 (elephants, buffalos, leopards, rhinos, and lions) are all easily spotted in these lands, but the diverse habitats provide opportunities for different behavioral sightings, from feeding to bathing and mating. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026

The photo taken by Victor Huertas from Australia’s James Cook University shows how tens of thousands of cuttlefish use their skin’s natural pigmentation to vie for mating rights. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026

The production decision will be a complex mating dance between the prime contractor, the Pentagon and Congress. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2026

In nature, it’s believed that some beetles are shiny for camouflage, protection and mating purposes. — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Verb

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

Darkness is essential to fireflies for mating and increasing their population. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 6 June 2026