Thesaurus results for 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

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mating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mate

as in sleeping

to engage in sexual intercourse cats conceive almost every time they mate

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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 mating

Noun

In a new study, researchers documented seven cases of remoras, a fish known for suctioning itself onto rays—as well as sharks, dolphins, boats and even divers—plunging into manta rays' cloacal orifice, an opening used for pooping, peeing and mating. —

Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 11 May 2026 Mating season generally begins in May, with peak mating in June. —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2026 Hazina’s father, Utenzi, came to Lincoln Park as part of the Eastern Black Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan, a program where scientists determine ideal mating partners for endangered rhinos based on various genetic and hormonal factors, Kutilek said. —

Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026 According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alligator courtship begins in early April, with mating typically occurring in May and June. —

Sergio Candido, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026 But sage grouse are deeply attached to their mating grounds and rarely relocate on their own. —

Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026 The species’ elaborate mating rituals and fierce attachment to their breeding grounds make the conservation challenge uniquely difficult. —

Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026 Published in Royal Society Open Science, the research focuses on Salganea taiwanensis, a wood-eating cockroach species that appears to form what scientists call a pair bond — a close, long-term social connection between two individuals that goes beyond a single mating event. —

Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 13 Apr. 2026

Verb

For the first time in 200 years, red-and-green macaws are mating in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, according to BBC Wildlife. —

Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026 The males will sometimes pursue the females for up to one week before mating even occurs. —

Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2026 Nature’s drones are male bees that build the walls and octagonal cells of the hive and die after mating. —

Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026 Signs warned, caution deers mating. —

Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026 The cam has followed Jackie and Shadow, who have been mating since 2018, and made the birds worldwide celebrities and regular fixtures of morning TV shows. —

Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026 But these flourishes don’t seem essential for mating. —

Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026 Sensory receptors act as evolutionary hotspots that can either preserve recognition among members of the same species, or limit interspecies mating, playing a foundational role in Earth’s biodiversity. —

Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2026 The population of coyotes doubles in Cook County during mating and whelping season, research shows. —

Adam Harrington, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mating

Noun

The findings, from 1,592 U.S. citizens of different ages, sexes, races and incomes, were collected between Dec. 20 and Dec. 22.

— Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025
On his first day in office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that declared the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female.

— CBS News, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025