(~s, mating, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
You can refer to someone’s friends as their ~s, especially when you are talking about a man and his male friends. (BRIT INFORMAL)
He’s off drinking with his ~s...
= pal
N-COUNT: usu with poss
2.
Some men use ~ as a way of addressing other men when they are talking to them. (BRIT INFORMAL)
Come on ~, things aren’t that bad.
= pal
N-VOC
3.
Someone’s wife, husband, or sexual partner can be referred to as their ~.
He has found his ideal ~.
= partner
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft poss N
4.
An animal’s ~ is its sexual partner.
The males guard their ~s zealously.
N-COUNT: usu poss N
5.
When animals ~, a male and a female have sex in order to produce young.
This allows the pair to ~ properly and stops the hen staying in the nest-box...
They want the males to ~ with wild females...
It is easy to tell when a female is ready to ~.
...the mating season.
V-RECIP: pl-n V, V with n, V (non-recip), V-ing
6.
On a commercial ship, the ~ or the first ~ is the most important officer except for the captain. Officers of lower rank are also called ~s.
...the ~ of a fishing trawler.
N-COUNT
7.
In chess, ~ is the same as check~ .
N-UNCOUNT
8.
see also cell~ , class~ , flat~ , play~ , room~ , running ~ , school~ , ship~ , soul ~