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
Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026
It is suspected North Carolina’s Outer Banks may be a white shark mating ground, but OCEARCH is still searching for definitive proof.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
Many mammals exhibit dominance hierarchies; forms of inequality in which stronger individuals use strength, aggression and allies to get better access to food or mating opportunities.
—Thomas Morgan, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
The females give birth to nymphs without mating, and these nymphs rapidly mature into adults (in about 10 days).
—Jon Vanzile, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
The Marshalls rescued her from Lake Copeland so she wouldn’t be harmed by her parents, a mating pair of swans who still live there.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Among these dolphins, males with close social bonds spend much of their time together, often traveling, foraging, mating and resting in the same groups.
—Hasmik Kirakosyan, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
These surface active groups can also provide mating opportunities.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
The script has an anthropologist’s curiosity about the mating habits of Homo sapiens collegiate.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 17 Feb. 2026
By the Middle Ages, people in France and England believed birds began mating around that time of year, reinforcing the connection to romance.
—Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 14 Feb. 2026
Frequent mate switching combined with low reproductive ‘skew’ and possibly the active avoidance of mating with close relatives, may be effective strategies to maintaining the genetic health of relatively small populations.
—New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2026
Jackie and Shadow’s prior mating seasons have been marked by cycles of celebration and heartbreak.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Hamsters are territorial, and females frequently kick the male out after mating.
—Noel Kirkpatrick, Treehugger, 20 Jan. 2026
In the animal kingdom, mammals play dead so that a predator will lose interest in them; some female dragonflies do it to avoid mating.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
These close evolutionary neighbors sometimes share DNA, including potentially beneficial mutations, by mating across the species lines defined by humans’ classification systems.
—David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
Adults emerge from the pupae and begin feeding, mating and laying eggs.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
Schulte tagged nine mating pairs in Alaska and tracked them for three years.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026
It is suspected North Carolina’s Outer Banks may be a white shark mating ground, but OCEARCH is still searching for definitive proof.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 11 Feb. 2026
Many mammals exhibit dominance hierarchies; forms of inequality in which stronger individuals use strength, aggression and allies to get better access to food or mating opportunities.
—Thomas Morgan, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
The females give birth to nymphs without mating, and these nymphs rapidly mature into adults (in about 10 days).
—Jon Vanzile, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
The Marshalls rescued her from Lake Copeland so she wouldn’t be harmed by her parents, a mating pair of swans who still live there.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Among these dolphins, males with close social bonds spend much of their time together, often traveling, foraging, mating and resting in the same groups.
—Hasmik Kirakosyan, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
These surface active groups can also provide mating opportunities.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
The script has an anthropologist’s curiosity about the mating habits of Homo sapiens collegiate.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
February is mating season for the four-legged canines, which can lead to sightings in even the most urban parts of Central Indiana.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 17 Feb. 2026
By the Middle Ages, people in France and England believed birds began mating around that time of year, reinforcing the connection to romance.
—Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 14 Feb. 2026
Frequent mate switching combined with low reproductive ‘skew’ and possibly the active avoidance of mating with close relatives, may be effective strategies to maintaining the genetic health of relatively small populations.
—New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2026
Jackie and Shadow’s prior mating seasons have been marked by cycles of celebration and heartbreak.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Hamsters are territorial, and females frequently kick the male out after mating.
—Noel Kirkpatrick, Treehugger, 20 Jan. 2026
In the animal kingdom, mammals play dead so that a predator will lose interest in them; some female dragonflies do it to avoid mating.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
These close evolutionary neighbors sometimes share DNA, including potentially beneficial mutations, by mating across the species lines defined by humans’ classification systems.
—David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
Adults emerge from the pupae and begin feeding, mating and laying eggs.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
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
Verb
-
Following practices for good heart health like eating a nutritious diet, sleeping enough, getting enough consistent exercise and addressing underlying medical conditions that make heart disease more likely are all important.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
16 Feb. 2026
-
It’s often described as getting the wind knocked out of you, a knot in the stomach or even trouble sleeping.—
Kyra Dahring,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On top of that, one of Colvin’s classmates, Jeremiah Reeves, had recently been arrested for having intercourse with a white woman.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Jan. 2026
-
British prosecutors said Johnston used threats and intimidation to force the woman into having intercourse with the men, per the outlet.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the long term, this failure to address deep social problems contributes to the erosion of people’s trust in governments and institutions, breeding nihilism and an attraction to demagogues who claim to have easy answers.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
-
That group of friends is just breeding toxicity with each other.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The National Association Against iGaming supports the Colorado bill because the group opposes online casino games, said Oliver Barie, the organization’s government relations director.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
-
While Don specializes in operations, Joey places a key emphasis on investor relations.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mating. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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