as in sex
sexual union involving penetration of the vagina by the penis
if the mare doesn't get pregnant from this mating, you don't have to pay for the second try
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in sleeping
to engage in sexual intercourse
cats conceive almost every time they mate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of mating
Thomas Morgan, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
The females give birth to nymphs without mating, and these nymphs rapidly mature into adults (in about 10 days).
—Jon Vanzile, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
The Marshalls rescued her from Lake Copeland so she wouldn’t be harmed by her parents, a mating pair of swans who still live there.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Among these dolphins, males with close social bonds spend much of their time together, often traveling, foraging, mating and resting in the same groups.
—Hasmik Kirakosyan, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
These surface active groups can also provide mating opportunities.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
The script has an anthropologist’s curiosity about the mating habits of Homo sapiens collegiate.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Sellew is a bold new voice, using sharp, stylish prose to explore the hinterland of contemporary mating.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
One preference the females seem to have is fine sand – this is also the first to degrade in the circle, meaning the male won't reuse his masterpiece but build from scratch when another mating event requires it.
—New Atlas, 3 Jan. 2026
Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Frequent mate switching combined with low reproductive ‘skew’ and possibly the active avoidance of mating with close relatives, may be effective strategies to maintaining the genetic health of relatively small populations.
—New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2026
Jackie and Shadow’s prior mating seasons have been marked by cycles of celebration and heartbreak.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Hamsters are territorial, and females frequently kick the male out after mating.
—Noel Kirkpatrick, Treehugger, 20 Jan. 2026
In the animal kingdom, mammals play dead so that a predator will lose interest in them; some female dragonflies do it to avoid mating.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
These close evolutionary neighbors sometimes share DNA, including potentially beneficial mutations, by mating across the species lines defined by humans’ classification systems.
—David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
Adults emerge from the pupae and begin feeding, mating and laying eggs.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Fall is mating season for elk in places like Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone, and approaching too closely can put both humans and animals at risk.
—AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
Many mammals exhibit dominance hierarchies; forms of inequality in which stronger individuals use strength, aggression and allies to get better access to food or mating opportunities.
—Thomas Morgan, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026
The females give birth to nymphs without mating, and these nymphs rapidly mature into adults (in about 10 days).
—Jon Vanzile, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
The Marshalls rescued her from Lake Copeland so she wouldn’t be harmed by her parents, a mating pair of swans who still live there.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Among these dolphins, males with close social bonds spend much of their time together, often traveling, foraging, mating and resting in the same groups.
—Hasmik Kirakosyan, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026
These surface active groups can also provide mating opportunities.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 13 Jan. 2026
The script has an anthropologist’s curiosity about the mating habits of Homo sapiens collegiate.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Sellew is a bold new voice, using sharp, stylish prose to explore the hinterland of contemporary mating.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
One preference the females seem to have is fine sand – this is also the first to degrade in the circle, meaning the male won't reuse his masterpiece but build from scratch when another mating event requires it.
—New Atlas, 3 Jan. 2026
Verb
By the Middle Ages, people in France and England believed birds began mating around that time of year, reinforcing the connection to romance.
—Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Frequent mate switching combined with low reproductive ‘skew’ and possibly the active avoidance of mating with close relatives, may be effective strategies to maintaining the genetic health of relatively small populations.
—New Atlas, 25 Jan. 2026
Jackie and Shadow’s prior mating seasons have been marked by cycles of celebration and heartbreak.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
Hamsters are territorial, and females frequently kick the male out after mating.
—Noel Kirkpatrick, Treehugger, 20 Jan. 2026
In the animal kingdom, mammals play dead so that a predator will lose interest in them; some female dragonflies do it to avoid mating.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
These close evolutionary neighbors sometimes share DNA, including potentially beneficial mutations, by mating across the species lines defined by humans’ classification systems.
—David Toews, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
Adults emerge from the pupae and begin feeding, mating and laying eggs.
—Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Fall is mating season for elk in places like Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone, and approaching too closely can put both humans and animals at risk.
—AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mating
Noun
-
The findings, from 1,592 U.S. citizens of different ages, sexes, races and incomes, were collected between Dec. 20 and Dec. 22.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
28 Dec. 2025
-
On his first day in office, Mr. Trump signed an executive order that declared the federal government would recognize only two immutable sexes: male and female.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Cruise operators also generally try to cross the roughest waters while guests are sleeping.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The bedrooms retain the traditional alcova layout, a shallow, arched niche historically used for sleeping.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
On top of that, one of Colvin’s classmates, Jeremiah Reeves, had recently been arrested for having intercourse with a white woman.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Jan. 2026
-
British prosecutors said Johnston used threats and intimidation to force the woman into having intercourse with the men, per the outlet.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The report states that the breeding population of bears is expanding into more cities and towns.—
Sasha Allen,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Nuka had lived at the Detroit Zoo from 2011 to 2022, and then was moved to the Toledo Zoo in 2022 for breeding efforts with female polar bear Crystal.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
State Assemblymember Jessica Caloza (D-Los Angeles) said Home Depot’s head of government relations and affairs called her late Thursday night and said the labor center would be served with an eviction notice.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The link was suspended in 2021 as relations grew increasingly strained before Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.—
VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mating. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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