mateship

American

[meyt-ship] / ˈmeɪt ʃɪp /

noun

the state of being a mate.
Australian. a mode of conduct among Australian men that stresses equality, friendship, and solidarity.

mateship British

/ ˈmeɪtʃɪp /

noun

the comradeship of friends, usually male, viewed as an institution

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mateship

First recorded in 1585–95; mate ¹ + -ship

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.

"Very confronting injuries for those boys to see, but I suppose that's mateship."

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

“It’s camaraderie, it’s mateship, it’s the balance of skill and strategy … but to be honest, it’s a lot of fun,” says Australian Curling Federation President Kim Forge.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2022

I didn’t solely base my case on our hundred years of mateship, or the Anzus alliance.

From The Guardian • Apr. 19, 2020

One of these is the value set on "mateship"; another, related to it, is a much paraded dislike of elitism.

From Time Magazine Archive

"I know you have, Swampy," said Brummy, affectionately—as if he considered that Swampy had done his best in the interests of mateship.

From Children of the Bush by Lawson, Henry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023