matey
1 Americannoun
plural
mateysadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- mateyness noun
- matiness noun
Etymology
Origin of matey1
First recorded in 1825–35; mate 1 + -y 2
Origin of matey2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Occasionally she can be matey with you, but don’t try to reciprocate or you get The Look,” he wrote in his memoir, “A Journey.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 9, 2022
He can be matey or imperious as the fancy takes him.
From Golf Digest • May 5, 2020
He is very matey even if there must be 20 years between us.
From The Guardian • Nov. 1, 2019
His jokey conference speeches and matey persona had made him a favourite among grassroots party activists, who saw him as one of their own.
From BBC • May 23, 2017
“Arr, matey, who dares to disturb the pirate captain’s slumber?”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
