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to pair

to pair

3 5.7
To come together to mate and have young
  • verb
  • /pɛr/
  • NSFW
: aparearse
  • Males and females pair up after meeting in winter flocks.

Examples

  • There is a study of how attractive men are more likely to pair up with women who have bigger breasts.

  • As the season progresses, females are increasingly likely to pair with yearlings.

    Academic text (1995)
  • And when they pair, how long does it last?

  • I said they were going to pair off.

  • Female spotted sandpipers, which arrive first at the nesting ground, essentially always pair first with older males.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Western Gulls aren't supposed to start pairing up for mating until January at the earliest.

    Blog text (1)
  • In the spring, many birds pair to build nests together.

  • After they pair, the rabbits will care for their young together.

  • When wolves pair, they form strong bonds and work together to raise their pups.

Synonyms

to mate
vsto pair
  • NSFW
84 2.8

To have sex to produce young

is the same idea but phrased differently
to copulate
vsto pair
  • NSFW
10 7.9

To have sex, usually used for animals or in biology

is the common animal term for coming together to have sex
to couple
vsto pair
  • NSFW
8 8.1

To have sex with another person or animal

is a more general word for coming together to have sex
to couple up
vsto pair
1 4.7

To join two machines or vehicles so they are connected

is specifically about animals coming together to have sex not just linking
to tup
vsto pair
  • NSFW
1 9.9

To mate with a female sheep, said of a male sheep

is the broad animal term rather than a male sheep specific action
to serve
vsto pair
  • Specialized
8.6

To mate with a female animal to produce young

is the general term for animals coming together to have sex

Idioms

to grow a pair
  • Offensive
10 9.9

To become braver and more confident in difficult situations

1 9.9

To be brave enough to do something difficult or risky

A person who can be trusted to do important tasks carefully and well

Run away quickly to avoid danger or trouble

Phrasal Verbs

12 3.7

Join another person to make a group of two for an activity

1 9.9

To be brave enough to do something difficult

Compounds

46 1.1

Clothes that cover your lower body from the waist to the ankles with separate legs

A tool with two sharp blades you hold to cut paper or cloth

A single piece of clothing that you wear under other clothes, usually underpants

10 5.8

A young person from another country who lives with a family and helps look after children for room and food

base pair
  • Specialized
8 3.9

Two matching chemical parts in DNA or RNA that join the two strands, for example adenine with thymine

A hand tool with two joined arms and toothed jaws used to hold, bend, or cut things

A person who helps with physical tasks when needed

Small tool with two thin arms used to pick up small things

A tool with two long handles joined at one end for holding and lifting hot or delicate things

A person who looks at work with a new view to find mistakes

1 4.2

Something you wear on your face to help you see

au pair girl
  • Archaic
1 6.3

A young woman who lives with a family and cares for children while getting room, food and a small payment

pair production
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A very energetic light particle changes into an electron and a positron near a nucleus

A tool with two joined arms used to hold or pull things

pair creation
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A process where a high-energy photon turns into an electron and a positron near an atomic nucleus

3.5

A machine or program that helps people do repeated tasks

pair formation
  • Specialized
9.9

When a high energy light particle turns into an electron and a positron near an atomic nucleus

9.9

A rectangular instrument without legs with keys like a harpsichord, often played by women in the 1500s and 1600s

How Large

throng
26 5.9
herd
134 1.0
to group
47 1.2
to pair
  • NSFW
3 5.7
individual
∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

pair infinitive
paired past
paired past participle
pairing present participle
pairs third person singular

Etymology

When animals pair, they come together as a couple, and the word goes back to Latin par, 'equal'. So to say animals pair is to say they form two partners for mating.