pair
5 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
pairs
or
pair
plural
pairs
or
pair
Britannica Dictionary definition of PAIR
[count]
1
:
two things that are the same and are meant to be used together
-
a pair of gloves
-
a pair of shoes/socks
-
He blushed when he saw all three pairs of eyes watching him.
-
She won with a pair of aces.
-
I can't do everything at once—I've only got one pair of hands. [=I am only one person]
-
It will take two pairs of hands [=two people] to move this rock.
2
:
a thing that has two parts which are joined
-
a pair of scissors
-
a pair of pants/underwear
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I got my first pair of glasses when I was eight.
3
:
two people who are related in some way or who do something together
-
His two closest friends lived in the city and the pair of them visited him often.
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The dance is usually performed by a male and female pair.
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Those two kids make quite a pair.
4
:
two animals that mate together
-
To avoid competition, breeding/mating pairs stay away from other male chimpanzees.
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A pair of parrots can raise one chick each year.
in pairs
:
in a group of two people or things
-
The teacher let the students work in pairs on the assignment.
-
They walked down the aisle in pairs.
2
pair
/ˈpeɚ/
verb
pairs;
paired;
pairing
2
pair
/ˈpeɚ/
verb
pairs;
paired;
pairing
Britannica Dictionary definition of PAIR
[+ object]
:
to put (two people or things) together
— often used as (be) paired
-
The teacher paired students with partners for the assignment.
-
We met when we were paired to work together on the project.
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The suit is paired with black shoes for a sophisticated look.
-
The fish was paired with a white wine.
pair off
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to join together in a romantic relationship
-
He hated being single while his friends were pairing off and having kids.
2
pair off
or
pair (someone or something) off
or
pair off (someone or something)
:
to join with someone or something else to form a group of two
-
People paired off for the next dance.
-
She paired the students off. = She paired off the students.
pair up
[phrasal verb]
pair up
or
pair (someone or something) up
or
pair up (someone or something)
:
to join together or to cause (two people or things) to join together for a purpose, job, etc.
-
The two organizations paired up to educate the public about the threat of global warming.
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They paired me up with a new partner for the last game.
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The program pairs up volunteers with children who need help learning to read.
