pair
Two alike or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
Noun 4 meanings
Two alike 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 or friendship.
“Spouses should make a great pair.”
Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plural only, except in some technical contexts).
“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.”
Verb 4 meanings
To group into one or more sets of two.
“The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.”
to link two electronic devices wirelessly together, especially through a protocol such as Bluetooth.
“It was not possible to pair my smartphone with an incompatible smartwatch.”
To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.
To come together for mating.
Etymology
From Middle English paire, from Old French paire, from Latin paria (“equals”), neuter plural of par (“pair”). Related to pār (“equal”, adjective). Compare Saterland Frisian Poor (“pair”), West Frisian pear (“pair”), Dutch paar (“pair”), German Paar (“pair”), Italian paio (“pair”)
Similar and opposite words
PAIR at a glance
PAIR has 4 letters and scores 6 points in Scrabble (P 3 + A 1 + I 1 + R 1) and 7 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #1,907 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with pair
All rhymesOne letter away
Keep going
Related lists
Looking for a different word?
Type the letters you have and the Finder shows every word that fits.