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pair

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A set of two similar things considered as a unit.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pehr
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɛɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A set of two similar things considered as a unit

  2. Two people considered as a unit

  3. Two people in a relationship, partnership or friendship.

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

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

  6. 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.

verb

  1. transitive

    To group into one or more sets of two.

  2. Bring two objects, ideas, or people together

  3. transitive

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

  4. intransitive

    To come together for mating.

  5. intransitive

    To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A set of two similar things considered as a unit

Used this way, pair is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Set / two

ordered pairfirst pairsecond pairnew pair

Other combinations

base pairtwo pairpair productionsingle pair

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • brace

    A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be….

  • dyad

    Two items of the same kind.

  • couple

    Two of the same kind connected or considered together.

  • twin

    Either of two similar or closely related objects, entities etc.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • pairedadjectiveInflected form

    Of leaves etc.

  • pairingnounInflected form

    The act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • pair of pincersnounCompound term

    A hand tool for holding consisting of a compound lever for grasping.

  • pair of pliersnounCompound term

    A gripping hand tool with two hinged arms and (usually) serrated jaws.

  • pair of scissorsnounCompound term

    An edge tool having two crossed pivoting blades.

  • pair of tongsnounCompound term

    Any of various devices for taking hold of objects.

  • pair of trousersnounCompound term

    A garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately.

  • pair of tweezersnounCompound term

    A hand tool for holding consisting of a compound lever for grasping.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: set of two similar things considered as a unit

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.