pair

Syllabification: (pair)

Pronunciation: /pe(ə)r/

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Definition of pair

noun

a set of two things used together or regarded as a unit:a pair of gloves
an article or object consisting of two joined or corresponding parts not used separately:a pair of jeans
two playing cards of the same denomination:I have a pair of jacks
two people related in some way or considered together:a company run by a pair of brothers every naughty thing the pair of them did made their faces look worse students work alone or in pairs
the second member of a pair in relation to the first:each course member tries to persuade his pair of the merits of his model
a mated couple of animals:nine breeding pairs of birds
two horses harnessed side by side.
either or both of two members of a legislative assembly on opposite sides who absent themselves from voting by mutual arrangement, leaving the relative position of the parties unaffected.

verb

[with object]

join or connect to form a pair:a cardigan paired with a matching skirt
[no object] (of animals) mate:they bought a rooster to pair with the hen
[no object] (pair off/up) form a couple:Rachel has paired up with Tommy
give (a member of a legislative assembly) another member as a pair, to allow both to absent themselves from a vote without affecting the result:an absent member on one side is to be paired with an absentee on the other

Phrases

pair of hands: a person seen in terms of their participation in a task:we can always do with an extra pair of hands

Derivatives

pairwise

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French paire, from Latin paria 'equal things', neuter plural of par 'equal'. Formerly phrases such as a pair of gloves were expressed without of, as in a pair gloves (compare with German ein Paar Handschuhe)

pair in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of pair in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

pair

noun

verb

Phrases

pair of hands

Derivatives

pairwise

Origin:

pair in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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