mates
Friends, casually speaking
Mates is the plural of mate, a word with meanings centered on companionship and pairing.
Mates are friends or companions, especially in British and Australian usage: I'm meeting my mates at the pub.
Mates are also paired animals, particularly for breeding, or either member of a married couple.
In chess, mates is the plural of checkmate.
As a verb, mates means to pair for reproduction: The birds mate for life.
Goodwill among companions
- fellowshipMutual goodwill among companions
- togethernessState of close connection
- brotherhoodKinship among men
- sisterhoodBond among women
kinship · solidarity · rapport · loyalty · trust · connection · affinity · closeness
Married partner
- soulmateDeeply compatible life partner
- husbandMarried man's role
- wifeFemale marriage partner
- consortRoyal spouse
match · lover · betrothed · fiancé · fiancée · couple · pair · union
One who works jointly
- associateConnect mentally or socially
- accompliceCrime's willing helper
- confederateAllied partner in schemes
- supporterOne who backs another
backer · comrade · affiliate · advocate · co-conspirator · partner-in-crime · cooperator · cohort
Joining two together
- couplingJoint between systems
- reproductionCopying or procreation
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
- spawningReleasing eggs to reproduce
copulation · courtship · bonding · nesting · rutting · estrus · offspring · progeny
camaraderie
Goodwill among companions
- fellowshipMutual goodwill among companions
- togethernessState of close connection
- brotherhoodKinship among men
sisterhood · kinship · solidarity · rapport · loyalty · trust · connection · affinity · closeness · intimacy
spouse
Married partner
consort · match · lover · betrothed · fiancé · fiancée · couple · pair · union · pairing
collaborator
One who works jointly
- associateConnect mentally or socially
- accompliceCrime's willing helper
- confederateAllied partner in schemes
supporter · backer · comrade · affiliate · advocate · co-conspirator · partner-in-crime · cooperator · cohort · compatriot
pairing
Joining two together
- couplingJoint between systems
- reproductionCopying or procreation
- breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
spawning · copulation · courtship · bonding · nesting · rutting · estrus · offspring · progeny
buddy
Informal term for companion
homie · bro · bestie · confidant · crony · sidekick · comrade · playmate · schoolmate · housemate
king
Male crowned ruler
- queenMost powerful chess piece
- stalemateMutual obstruction preventing progress
- endgameConcluding phase of competition
zugzwang · smothered · pin · fork · check · gambit · strategy
- social tiesfriends, pals, buddies, companions, chums
- couplescouple, married couple, married couples, pair, twosome
- friend groupssquad, crew, posse, clique, gang
- pairspair, pairs, two, duo, duos
- trotrosminivans, conductors, fares, passengers, drivers
- Britishnesstea, London, BBC, Big Ben, royal family
matesenemies
Hostile opposing parties
foes · adversaries · rivals · antagonists · opponents
matesstrangers
People unknown to you
unknowns · outsiders · aliens · foreigners · acquaintances
- soul mateIdeal romantic counterpart
- first mateCaptain's second-in-command
- running mateVice presidential nominee
- mating seasonReproductive cycle timing
- mating danceRitualized movements seeking reproduction
- mating callSpecies-specific courtship signal
mate, intimate, classmate, mating, mated, roommate, teammate, checkmate, matey