pair

Use pair in a sentence

A pair of shoes.

noun

Pair means two similar things, often used together, or two persons or animals.
1. An example of a pair is two sneakers, one for the left foot and one for the right foot.
2. An example of a pair is two people who are going to get married.

verb

Pair is defined as to match up or provide with a partner.
An example of pair is to divide students into groups of two.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"pair." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR>.

APA Style

pair. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR

pair

noun

pl. pairs or

two similar or corresponding things joined, associated, or used together: a pair of gloves
a single thing made up of two corresponding parts that are used together: a pair of pants
two persons or animals; specif.,
1. a married, engaged, or courting couple
2. two mated animals
3. any two people considered as having something in common: a pair of thieves
4. a brace; span: a pair of oxen
5. two legislators on opposing sides of some question who agree to withhold their vote so as to offset each other; also, such an agreement
two playing cards of the same denomination
Chiefly Dial. a set or series: a pair of stairs, a pair of beads

Origin of pair

Middle English paire from Old French from Classical Latin paria, neuter plural of par, equal: see par

to make a pair of (two persons or things) by matching, joining, mating, etc.
to arrange in pairs
to provide with a partner: followed by with

to form a pair; match
to join in marriage; mate

pair Idioms

pair off

to join in, or separate into, pairs

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"pair." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR>.

APA Style

pair. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR

pair

noun

pl. pair, or pairs

Two corresponding persons or items, similar in form or function and matched or associated: a pair of shoes.
One object composed of two joined, similar parts that are dependent upon each other: a pair of pliers.
a. Two persons who are married, engaged, or dating.
b. Two persons who have something in common and are considered together: a pair of hunters.
c. Two mated animals.
d. Two animals joined together in work.
Games Two playing cards of the same denomination.
Two members of a deliberative body with opposing opinions on a given issue who agree to abstain from voting on the issue, thereby offsetting each other.
Chemistry An electron pair.

verb

paired, pair·ing, pairs

verb

transitive

To arrange in sets of two; couple: The golfers are paired in twosomes for this round of play.
To combine or join (one person or thing) with another to form a pair: a director pairing his favorite actor with an unknown; a salad that is paired with a fine dressing.

verb

intransitive

To form pairs or a pair: The people on the dance floor paired up.
To join with another in love or mating.

Origin of pair

Middle English from Old French paire from Latin paria equals pl. of pār a pair from pār equal ; see perə-² in Indo-European roots.

Usage Note: The noun pair can be followed by a singular or plural verb. The singular is always used when pair denotes the set taken as a single entity: This pair of shoes is on sale. A plural verb is used when the members are considered as individuals: The pair are working more harmoniously now. After a number other than one, pair itself can be either singular or plural, but the plural is now more common: I bought six pairs (or pair ) of shoes.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"pair." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR>.

APA Style

pair. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR

Noun

(plural pairs or pair)

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.
Two people in a relationship, partnership (especially sexual) or friendship.
Spouses should make a great pair.
Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plurale tantum)
a pair of scissors; two pairs of spectacles; several pairs of jeans
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.
(card games) A poker hand that contains of two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.
(cricket) A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match
(baseball, informal) A double play, two outs recorded in one play
They turned a pair to end the fifth.
(baseball, informal) A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams
The Pirates took a pair from the Phillies.
(slang) A pair of breasts
She's got a gorgeous pair.
(Australia, politics) 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.
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.
There were two pairs on the final vote.
(archaic) A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set.
(kinematics) In a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion; named in accordance with the motion it permits, as in turning pair, sliding pair, twisting pair.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present pairs, present participle pairing, simple past and past participle paired)

To group into sets of two.
The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.
To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.
(politics, slang) To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.
(intransitive) To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Related terms

pair off
pair up
parity

Origin

From Old French paire, from Latin paria (“equals"), neuter plural of pÄr.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present pairs, present participle pairing, simple past and past participle paired)

(obsolete) To impair.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"pair." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 23 June 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR>.

APA Style

pair. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23rd, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/PAIR

pair - Computer Definition

To establish a wireless connection. See pairing and Bluetooth pairing.

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher. © 1981-2017 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved.