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officemate

officemate

1 3.5
A person who works in the same office as you
  • noun
  • /ˈɔfɪsˌmeɪt/
  • Informal
translation icon : compañero de oficina
  • My officemate during the two weeks I spent at the foundation was Gene Rice, who was then working on the theoretical framework that led to Ernest Boyer's book.

Examples

  • I did not report the incident: the officemate had heard, even if he had not looked up.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Of course, if you've discovered too many pens in your office, simply return them to the supply room or share with your officemate.

    Blog text (21)
  • My officemate at Dish had the same complaint when she took her family to see it.

    Blog text (21)
  • This man's officemate sat behind him and to my right, directly in my line of sight.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A wave of gratitude toward my officemate for her bravery and compassion overwhelmed me.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Riva, Laurie's officemate, glanced up from her desk.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The lights dimmed and Tian took the stage with John O'Neill, his accompanist and officemate.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • He swung around and eyed Chet's empty chair, wondering where his officemate was.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Jack and his officemate, Chet, were the only two unmarried male medical examiners on staff, and Maureen and her team of female histology assistants got great enjoyment out of teasing both of them.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • During lunch, my officemate and I often discuss our weekend plans.

Synonyms

colleague
vsofficemate
892 2.3

A person you work with at the same job or company

focuses on sharing the same office or room rather than just the profession
fellow worker
vsofficemate
7 2.0

A person who works with you in the same company or team

refers instead to someone who works in the same office space as you
workmate
vsofficemate
  • UK
2 2.2

A person who has a job at the same office or company as you

is specifically someone who occupies the same office or room
co-worker
vsofficemate
1.8

A person who works with you in the same company or team

is someone who shares the same office or room with you
cow-orker
vsofficemate
  • Informal
8.8

A way to call someone you work with as a joke

is a neutral label for someone who shares your office space
workfellow
vsofficemate
  • Archaic
5.1

A person who does the same job as you

is used for someone who shares the same office rather than only the job

How Close

officemate
  • Informal
1 3.5
workmate
  • UK
2 2.2
co-worker
1.8
colleague
892 2.3

Surface Forms

officemate singular
officemate plural
officemates plural
officemate singular

Morphology

officemate = office + mate (transparent) = office + mate

The meaning is directly derived from 'office' + 'mate' (similar to 'roommate' or 'teammate'), so learners who know both components can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Officemate is made of office and mate. Office means 'a place where people work' and mate means 'a companion or friend', as in roommate. So an officemate is someone who works in the same office as you.