What does "pair" mean?
Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
Pair
/pɛə/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
- Grammar: pair is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: duo, couple, twosome, brace.
- Useful contrasts: unlinked genes, unmated, more single.
- Usage evidence: Yoshio said he would pay as much as 15,000 yen for a new pair of basketball shoes, but I thought that was quite expensive.
How to use "pair"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pair" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pair" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pair" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pair" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pair" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "duo" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pair", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
"Ting, ting, ting! went the bell again. Every body sat down; the curtain shook, rose sufficiently high to display several pair of yellow boots paddling about, and there it remained."
- 2 a poker hand with 2 cards of the same value wordnet
- 3 Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.; One of the constituent items that make up a pair.
"[S]he had finished the second sock, and pulled its pair out of the bag before handing them to her husband."
- 4 two people considered as a unit wordnet
- 5 Two people in a relationship, partnership or friendship.
"Spouses should make a great pair."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 a set of two similar things considered as a unit wordnet
- 7 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"
- 8 two items of the same kind wordnet
- 9 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."
- 10 A poker hand that contains two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.
- 11 A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match.
- 12 A double play, two outs recorded in one play. informal
"They turned a pair to end the fifth."
- 13 A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams. informal
"The Pirates took a pair from the Phillies."
- 14 A boat for two sweep rowers.
- 15 A pair of breasts. slang
"She's got a gorgeous pair."
- 16 A pair of testicles. slang
"Grow a pair, mate."
- 17 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. Australia
- 18 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."
- 19 A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set. archaic
"Thou lieſt; I ha’ nothing buy my ſkin, / And my cloaths; my ſword here, and my ſelf; / Two Crowns in my pocket; two pair of Cards; / And three falſe Dice: I can ſwim like a fiſh / Raſcal, nothing to hinder me."
- 20 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
- 1 To group into one or more sets of two. transitive
"The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party."
- 2 To impair, to make worse. obsolete, transitive
"Why dreghis þou þis dole, & deris þi seluyn? / Lefe of þis Langore, as my lefe brother, / Þat puttes þe to payne and peires þi sight."
- 3 bring two objects, ideas, or people together wordnet
- 4 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."
- 5 To become worse, to deteriorate. intransitive, obsolete
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 engage in sexual intercourse wordnet
- 7 To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating. transitive
- 8 arrange in pairs wordnet
- 9 To come together for mating. intransitive
"The raven, in short, when he pairs, which he does at the earliest moment permitted by the laws of ravendom, pairs for life […]"
- 10 occur in pairs wordnet
- 11 To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions. slang
- 12 form a pair or pairs wordnet
- 13 To suit; to fit, as a counterpart. intransitive
"My Heart was made to fit and pair with thine, / Simple and plain, and fraught with artleſs Tenderneſs; / Form’d to receive one Love, and only one, / But pleas’d and proud, and dearly fond of that, / It knows not what there can be in Variety, / And would not if it could."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Yoshio said he would pay as much as 15,000 yen for a new pair of basketball shoes, but I thought that was quite expensive."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pair"?
Common synonyms include: duo, couple, twosome, brace, dyad, a couple of.
How do you use "pair" in a sentence?
Yoshio said he would pay as much as 15,000 yen for a new pair of basketball shoes, but I thought that was quite expensive.
How do you pronounce "pair"?
Pronounced /pɛə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”)
Etymology 2
From Middle English pairen, peiren, shortened form of apeiren, empeiren, from Old French empeirier, empoirier, from Late Latin peiōrō.
Etymology 3
From the German surname, probably a variant of Baer, from the noun Bär (“bear”).