mate

noun

/meɪt/

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friend

[countable] (British English, Australian English, informal) a friend

They've been best mates since school.
I was with a mate.

Wordfinder

acquaintance
bond
buddy
companion
comrade
friend
mate
neighbour
platonic
playmate

Extra Examples

He's a cheat and a gambler; hardly an ideal mate.
He's got loads of mates at school.

Topics Family and relationshipsb2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

best
good

verb + mate

have

See full entry

friendly name

[countable] (British English, Australian English, informal) used as a friendly way of addressing somebody, especially between men

Sorry mate, you'll have to wait.
All right, mate?

somebody you share with

[countable] (in compounds) a person you share an activity or accommodation with

workmates/teammates/playmates/classmates
my room-mate/flatmate

see also age-mate, running mate, soulmate

bird/animal

[countable] the sexual partner of a bird or animal

A male bird sings to attract a mate.

Topics Birdsb2, Animalsb2

sexual partner

[countable] (informal) a husband, wife or other sexual partner

Many matchmaking sites compile lists of potential mates using basic information.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

potential
prospective
ideal
…

verb + mate

attract
find
choose
…

See full entry

job

[countable] (British English) a person whose job is to help a worker who has had training in a skill

a builder’s/plumber’s mate

on ship

[countable] an officer in a commercial ship below the rank of captain or master see also first mateTopics Transport by waterc2

in chess

(also checkmate)

[uncountable] (in chess) a position in which one player cannot prevent their king (= the most important piece) being captured and therefore loses the game

(also checkmate)

[uncountable] a situation in which somebody has been completely defeated

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 7 late Middle English: from Middle Low German māt(e) ‘comrade’, of West Germanic origin; related to meat (the underlying concept was of eating together). noun sense 8 Middle English: the noun from Anglo-Norman French mat (from the phrase eschec mat ‘checkmate’); the verb from Anglo-Norman French mater ‘to checkmate’.

mate

verb

/meɪt/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they mate	/meɪt/ /meɪt/
he / she / it mates	/meɪts/ /meɪts/
past simple mated	/ˈmeɪtɪd/ /ˈmeɪtɪd/
past participle mated	/ˈmeɪtɪd/ /ˈmeɪtɪd/
-ing form mating	/ˈmeɪtɪŋ/ /ˈmeɪtɪŋ/

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animals/birds

[intransitive] mate (with something) (of two animals or birds) to have sex in order to produce young

Do foxes ever mate with dogs?
After mating, the female kills the male.
Females that mate with several males are rare.
the sexual signal from the adult female that tells the male she is ready to mate

see also matingTopics Animalsb2, Birdsb2

[transitive] mate something (to/with something) to put animals or birds together so that they will have sex and produce young

in chess

(also checkmate)

[transitive] (in chess) to put your opponent in a position in which they cannot prevent their king (= the most important piece) being captured and therefore lose the game

(also checkmate)

[transitive] to defeat somebody completely

Word Originverb senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: from Middle Low German māt(e) ‘comrade’, of West Germanic origin; related to meat (the underlying concept was of eating together). verb sense 3 Middle English: the noun from Anglo-Norman French mat (from the phrase eschec mat ‘checkmate’); the verb from Anglo-Norman French mater ‘to checkmate’.