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
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as in sleeping
to engage in sexual intercourse
cats conceive almost every time they mate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mating
Graham Averill, Outside, 26 Sep. 2025
Blue jay and green jay spottings in Texas The researchers attribute changes in weather patterns to the mating of the different birds.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
However, no one had seen a mating event — until now.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
But that's just what one enterprising marine biology team achieved, describing the mating sequence in careful, clinical detail in a paper published in the Journal of Ethology.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
While other shark species have been documented mating and within groups, this is a rarity for the leopard shark species.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
The Grand Prize for Colombia and Chile was awarded to Chilean photographer Felipe Esteban Toledo who, while looking to photograph frogs’ mating rituals at a lagoon in Valdivia’s Parque Saval, noticed a pair of Ringed Kingfishers hunting fish.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Instead of focusing on ambient sound levels, the marine biologists on this team were primarily interested in distinguishing mating calls.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
After a few months, following natural mating patterns, healthy mice babies were born with relatively normal gene expression.
—Jessica Rendall, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
The video shows two male sharks mating with a female in quick succession, according to Storyful.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
The disease spreads in koala populations through reproduction and social behavior connected to mating.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
The colony quickly descended into indiscriminate violence, stopped mating, and died out.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 7 Sep. 2025
Birds of Paradise, for example, have mating rituals so intricate and elaborate that people form clubs just to catch a glimpse of the show.
—Joe Salas
august 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2025
Others suggest that some of them were used in combat or displays that were essential for mating success.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
Fall is also mating season for the park’s elk herds, which migrate down from the high peaks as the temperature drops; look for them along Bear Lake Road and in the Colorado River Valley on the west side.
—Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025
Timely because those big, hairy but harmless tarantulas become more visible in the next few weeks as spider-mating season begins and fascinating because of what the male tarantula must go through to survive.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Noun
Oh, and the elk, which are busy sparring and bugling as part of their annual mating ritual.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 26 Sep. 2025
Blue jay and green jay spottings in Texas The researchers attribute changes in weather patterns to the mating of the different birds.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
However, no one had seen a mating event — until now.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
But that's just what one enterprising marine biology team achieved, describing the mating sequence in careful, clinical detail in a paper published in the Journal of Ethology.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
While other shark species have been documented mating and within groups, this is a rarity for the leopard shark species.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
The Grand Prize for Colombia and Chile was awarded to Chilean photographer Felipe Esteban Toledo who, while looking to photograph frogs’ mating rituals at a lagoon in Valdivia’s Parque Saval, noticed a pair of Ringed Kingfishers hunting fish.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Instead of focusing on ambient sound levels, the marine biologists on this team were primarily interested in distinguishing mating calls.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
After a few months, following natural mating patterns, healthy mice babies were born with relatively normal gene expression.
—Jessica Rendall, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Fruit flies drown themselves in booze when deprived of mating opportunities.
—Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
The video shows two male sharks mating with a female in quick succession, according to Storyful.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
The disease spreads in koala populations through reproduction and social behavior connected to mating.
—Amy Woodyatt, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
The colony quickly descended into indiscriminate violence, stopped mating, and died out.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 7 Sep. 2025
Birds of Paradise, for example, have mating rituals so intricate and elaborate that people form clubs just to catch a glimpse of the show.
—Joe Salas
august 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2025
Others suggest that some of them were used in combat or displays that were essential for mating success.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
Fall is also mating season for the park’s elk herds, which migrate down from the high peaks as the temperature drops; look for them along Bear Lake Road and in the Colorado River Valley on the west side.
—Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 25 Aug. 2025
Timely because those big, hairy but harmless tarantulas become more visible in the next few weeks as spider-mating season begins and fascinating because of what the male tarantula must go through to survive.
—Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mating
Noun
-
The State Department suspended processing applications from Americans seeking to update their passports with a new gender marker in January, shortly after President Trump signed an executive order proclaiming the U.S. recognizes only two unchangeable sexes, male and female.—
Brooke Migdon,
The Hill,
5 Sep. 2025
-
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January saying that the federal government will only recognize two sexes: male and female.—
Sonam Sheth
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Avoid sleeping on your stomach While this position can open up airways for struggling snorers, it's often associated with its potential downsides, Wermter says.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
-
And this is supposed to be sleeping time.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There are alignments of anemia with some of the early modern symptoms of green sickness—though very few people today are likely to think anemia is caused by a blockage of bodily humors curable by intercourse.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
27 Sep. 2025
-
One 2024 survey found that about 60 percent of college students reported having had vaginal intercourse; a 2022 Pew Research survey reported that more than half of all adults under 30 were in a relationship at the time.—
Molly Langmuir,
The Atlantic,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This will prevent mosquitoes from breeding in your yard.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Roland Emmerich became Hollywood’s king of disaster in the 1990s — mainly by cross-breeding the genre with alien and monster pictures, like Independence Day and Godzilla.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
China, India resume flights after five-year hiatus China and India agreed to restart direct flights after a five-year hiatus, the latest sign of thawing relations between the world’s most populous nations.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Buck began her career at Fox News Channel as a media relations coordinator.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mating. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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