PARTNER


Meaning of PARTNER in English

I. part ‧ ner 1 S2 W2 AC /ˈpɑːtnə $ ˈpɑːrtnər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ partner , ↑ partnership ; verb : ↑ partner ]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: parcener 'heir sharing half' , from Old French parçon 'share' ; influenced by part ]

1 . MARRIAGE ETC one of two people who are married, or who live together and have a sexual relationship ⇨ husband , wife :

Discuss your worries with your partner.

Only 29% of lone parents receive financial support from their former partners.

a sexual partner

2 . BUSINESS one of the owners of a business:

She’s a partner in a law firm.

The senior partner has retired.

⇨ ↑ sleeping partner

3 . DANCING/GAMES ETC someone you do a particular activity with, for example dancing or playing a game against two other people:

Clare’s my tennis partner.

Take your partners for the next dance.

4 . COUNTRY/ORGANIZATION a country or organization that another country or organization has an agreement with:

Nigeria is our principal trading partner in Africa.

The group is a junior partner (=less important group) in the PLO’s governing coalition.

5 . partners in crime two people who have planned and done something together, especially something that slightly annoys other people – used humorously

⇨ ↑ sparring partner

II. partner 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ partner , ↑ partnership ; verb : ↑ partner ]

to be someone’s partner in a dance, game etc:

I used to partner him in tennis matches.

• • •

THESAURUS

■ husband/wife etc

▪ husband/wife the man/woman you are married to:

My wife’s a teacher.

▪ partner the person you live with and have a sexual relationship with. Partner is often used when people are not married, or when you do not know if they are married. It is also used when talking about same-sex couples:

He lives with his partner Ruth and their eight-month-old son.

▪ fiancé/fiancée the man/woman you are engaged to:

He and fiancée Wendy Hodgson will marry in July.

▪ divorcee a woman who is divorced:

The Prince announced his intention to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

▪ widow/widower a woman or man whose husband or wife has died:

Imelda Marcos, the widow of the former President

▪ spouse formal your spouse is your husband or wife:

The rule applies to spouses and children of military personnel.

▪ estranged wife/husband formal someone’s estranged husband or wife is one who they do not live with anymore:

She is trying to get her sons back from her estranged husband.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.