pairing
Americannoun
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pairings
plural
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a coupling.
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Cell Biology. the lining up of the two homologous chromosomes or chromatids of each chromosome pair in meiosis or mitosis.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pairing
Explanation
A pairing is a match between two things or people, like the perfect pairing of chocolate and peanut butter. Use this noun for two folks who work together as a perfect unit, like the pairing of your baseball team's pitcher and catcher, or two things that seem made for each other, like the classic pairing of grilled cheese and tomato soup. You can also describe the act of sorting people into pairs this way: "Our family's secret Santa pairing meant that I had to buy a gift for my great uncle again."
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.
See Examples For:
With Ryunosuke Ito unavailable because of his university commitments in Japan, Jones handed a debut to third-choice fly-half Riku Kitahara as part of a half-back pairing with co-captain Naoto Saito.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
With three meteor showers, a close planetary pairing, a historic Voyager 1 milestone, and the beginning of a supermoon series, November offers plenty of reasons to look up and explore the night sky.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Immanuel Presbyterian, featured in the My Chemical Romance video “Helena,” is inviting people to attend its new October series pairing My Chemical Romance lyrics and Christianity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
While traditional chains like Golden Corral continue catering to the budget-minded, newer hot spots—from Korean barbecue to Uzbek delicacies—are pairing value with variety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
The ‘diabolical’ sound produced by F and B, a distance known as a tritone, is likewise produced by pairing Bt and E, E and A#, C and Gl>, and all the other possible tritones.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
For the first time since 2015, neither St. John Bosco nor Mater Dei will be seeded No. 1 for the Division 1 playoffs when pairings are released on Sunday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Note: City Section playoff pairings will be released Saturday afternoon and Southern Section playoff pairings on Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Mixed-genet pairings resulted in the corals deploying stinging cells, a hostile response that can be likened to organ rejection in humans.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Korda in particular set the tone early on Friday with her fifth win with Corpuz, equalling the points record for pairings set by Europe's Alison Nicholas and Laura Davies.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
As it developed, the flu forfeits didn’t affect Bobby’s pairings or score.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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