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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Pet

/pɛt/ · noun

Meaning

An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use..

Definitions by Sense

  1. An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.
  2. (by extension) Something kept as a companion, including inanimate objects (pet rock, pet plant, etc.).
  3. One who is excessively loyal to a superior and receives preferential treatment.
  4. Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a darling.
  5. (transitive) To stroke or fondle (an animal).
  6. (transitive, intransitive, informal) To stroke or fondle (another person) amorously.
  7. (dated, transitive) To keep or treat (an animal) as a pet.
  8. (dated, transitive) To treat (someone) as a pet; to fondle; to indulge.

Example Sentences

Papyrus: This is my brother's pet rock. He always forgets to feed it. As usual, I have to take responsibility.
At first she sat silent; but that could not last: she had resolved to make a pet of her little cousin, as she would have him to be; and she commenced stroking his curls, and kissing his cheek, and offering him tea in her saucer, like a baby.
the love of cronies, pets, and favourites
I really love to pet cute puppies.
We started petting each other the moment we were alone.
1970-1975, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure We kissed & petted for about 15 mins & he still wasn't hard, altho he acted like he was enjoying himself.
Deer are often tamed and petted, and their flesh is so much esteemed by all Malays, that it is very natural they should endeavour to introduce them into the remote islands in which they settled, and whose luxuriant forests seem so well adapted for their subsistence.
His daughter was petted and spoiled.

Synonyms for pet

companion animalpatsmoothfeel upgropetouch upcoddlecossetmopepoutpreferreddeariefavouritelovedfavoritefavoredduckypositron emission tomographydearydarling

Antonyms for pet

Related Words

duckypositron emission tomographydeariedearyloveddarlingfavoredfavoritefavouritepreferreddoggiedoggypoochbeastlapdogpuppykittenkittylivestockcat

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does pet mean?

Pet means An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use..

What is a synonym for pet?

Common synonyms include companion animal, pat, smooth, feel up.

What is the opposite of pet?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use pet in a sentence?

Papyrus: This is my brother's pet rock. He always forgets to feed it. As usual, I have to take responsibility.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.