Definitions for pair
pɛərpair

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.7 / 3 votes

1. pair, bracenoun

   a set of two similar things considered as a unit

2. couple, pair, twosome, twain, brace, span, yoke, couplet, distich, duo, duet, dyad, duadnoun

   two items of the same kind

3. pairnoun

   two people considered as a unit

4. pairverb

   a poker hand with 2 cards of the same value

5. pair, pair off, partner off, coupleverb

   form a pair or pairs

   "The two old friends paired off"

6. match, mate, couple, pair, twinverb

   bring two objects, ideas, or people together

   "This fact is coupled to the other one"; "Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?"; "The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project"

7. pair, geminateverb

   occur in pairs

8. pair, geminateverb

   arrange in pairs

   "Pair these numbers"

9. copulate, mate, pair, coupleverb

   engage in sexual intercourse

   "Birds mate in the Spring"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pairnoun

   Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.

   I couldn't decide which of the pair of designer shirts I preferred, so I bought the pair.

2. pairnoun

   Two people in a relationship, partnership (especially sexual) or friendship.

   Spouses should make a great pair.

3. pairnoun

   Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plurale tantum)

4. pairnoun

   A couple of working animals attached to work together, as by a yoke.

   A pair is harder to drive than two mounts with separate riders.

5. pairnoun

   A poker hand that contains of two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.

6. pairnoun

   A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match

7. pairnoun

   A double play, two outs recorded in one play

   They turned a pair to end the fifth.

8. pairnoun

   A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams

   The Pirates took a pair from the Phillies.

9. pairnoun

   A pair of breasts

   She's got a gorgeous pair.

10. pairverb

    To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.

    The wedding guests were paired boy-girl and groom's party-bride's party

11. pairverb

    To group into sets of two.

    The wedding guests were paired boy-girl and groom's party-bride's party

12. pairnoun

    The exclusion of one member of a parliamentary party from a vote, if a member of the other party is absent for important personal reasons.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PAIRnoun

   Etymology: paire, Fr. par, Latin.

   1. Two things suiting one another, as a pair of gloves.2. A man and wife.

   O when meet now,
   Such pairs in love and mutual honour join’d? John Milton.

   Baucis and Philemon there
   Had liv’d long marry’d and a happy pair;
   Now old in love. Dryden.

   3. Two of a sort; a couple; a brace.

   All his lovely looks, his pleasing fires,
   All his sweet motions, all his taking smiles,
   He does into one pair of eyes convey. John Suckling.

   The many pairs of nerves branching themselves to all the parts of the body, are wonderful to behold. John Ray.

2. To Pairverb

   1. To join in couples.

   Minds are so hardly match’d, that ev’n the first,
   Tho’ pair’d by heav’n, in Paradise were curs’d. Dryden.

   2. To unite as correspondent or opposite.

   Turtles and doves with diff’ring hues unite,
   And glossy jet is pair’d with shining white. Alexander Pope.

3. To Pairverb

   Etymology: from the noun.

   1. To be joined in pairs; to couple.

   Our dance, I pray;
   Your hand, my Perdita; so turtles pair. William Shakespeare.

   2. To suit; to fit as a counterpart.

   Had our prince seen the hour, he had pair’d
   Well with this lord; there was not a full month
   Between their births. William Shakespeare, Winter’s Tale.

   Ethelinda!
   My heart was made to fit and pair with thine,
   Simple and plain, and fraught with artless tenderness. Nicholas Rowe.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pair

   A pair refers to a set of two things that are considered together due to their similarity, relationship, or direct connection to each other. They can be objects, people, concepts, ideas, or coordinates, among other things. For instance, a pair of shoes refers to two shoes that look identical and are worn together. In mathematics, a pair could refer to an ordered couple of numbers.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Pairnoun

   a number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set; as, a pair or flight of stairs. "A pair of beads." Chaucer. Beau. & Fl. "Four pair of stairs." Macaulay. [Now mostly or quite disused, except as to stairs.]

2. Pairnoun

   two things of a kind, similar in form, suited to each other, and intended to be used together; as, a pair of gloves or stockings; a pair of shoes

3. Pairnoun

   two of a sort; a span; a yoke; a couple; a brace; as, a pair of horses; a pair of oxen

4. Pairnoun

   a married couple; a man and wife

5. Pairnoun

   a single thing, composed of two pieces fitted to each other and used together; as, a pair of scissors; a pair of tongs; a pair of bellows

6. Pairnoun

   two members of opposite parties or opinion, as in a parliamentary body, who mutually agree not to vote on a given question, or on issues of a party nature during a specified time; as, there were two pairs on the final vote

7. Pairnoun

   in a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion

8. Pairverb

   to be joined in paris; to couple; to mate, as for breeding

9. Pairverb

   to suit; to fit, as a counterpart

10. Pairverb

    same as To pair off. See phrase below

11. Pairverb

    to unite in couples; to form a pair of; to bring together, as things which belong together, or which complement, or are adapted to one another

12. Pairverb

    to engage (one's self) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions

13. Pairverb

    to impair

14. Etymology: [See Impair.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pair

   pār, v.t. (Spens.) to impair.

2. Pair

   pār, n. two things equal, or suited to each other, or used together: a set of two equal or like things forming one instrument, as a pair of scissors, tongs, &c., a set of like things generally: in building, a flight of stairs: a couple: a man and his wife: two members of a legislative body, holding opposite opinions, who agree with each other to abstain from voting for a certain time, so as to permit one or both to be absent.—v.t. to join in couples.—v.i. to be joined in couples: to fit as a counterpart.—adj. Paired, arranged in pairs: set by twos of a like kind: mated.—ns. Pair′ing, an agreement between two members of a legislative body holding opposite opinions to refrain from voting, so that both may absent themselves; Pair′ing-time, the time when birds go together in pairs; Pair′-roy′al, three cards of the same denomination, esp. in cribbage.—adv. Pair′-wise, in pairs.—Pair of colours, two flags carried by a regiment, one the national ensign, the other the flag of the regiment; Pair off (see Pairing above). [Fr. paire, a couple—pair, like—L. par, equal.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pair

   A known number as a unit.

   The pair of lovebirds were always united and kissing.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 15, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PAIR

   What does PAIR stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the PAIR acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PAIR

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pair is ranked #14050 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Pair surname appeared 2,143 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Pair.
   
   71.6% or 1,536 total occurrences were White.
   20% or 430 total occurrences were Black.
   2.6% or 56 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   2.3% or 51 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   2.2% or 48 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
   1% or 22 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

1. • Gathering
   • Join

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pair' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1814

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pair' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1305

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'pair' in Nouns Frequency: #585

Anagrams for pair »

1. pria

2. ripa

3. pari

How to pronounce pair?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pair in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pair in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pair in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of pair in a Sentence

1. Susan Hemming:

   The pair had been very close to carrying out an attack, all they required was to purchase the chemicals to make a detonator.

2. Andrew Michaels:

   I'd rather be with a woman who has things in common with me and is intelligent than a brainless, self centered trophy who is only concerned about where her next pair of Manolo Blahnik's are coming from and how much money she can take from your bank account.

3. Samuel Goldwyn:

   I never put on a pair of shoes until I've worn them at least five years.

4. Sam Lynton-Brown:

   Sterling/dollar has weakened in line with our view and we still see scope for further downside in the pair.

5. Sydney Smith:

   It resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated, often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes between them.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pair
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pair
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=pair
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pair
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=pair
7. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html