pair off
Idioms-
Put two persons together; also, become one of a couple, as in Jean mentally paired off her guests whenever she planned a party , or All the tennis players had to pair off for a round of doubles matches . [Late 1600s]
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Also, pair up . Make a pair of, match, as in I always have trouble pairing up their socks . [Early 1900s]
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.
Still, researchers say, people waiting longer to get married and being more selective about whom they pair off with can result in more stable marriages, contributing to a reduction in the divorce rate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2025
Circumstances change — people pair off, have children, choose lives that seem at odds with the dreams of youth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
In his third trip to the plate, Keith lined an opposite-field double to left that drove in a pair off New York righty Clayton Beeter on a 3-2 pitch.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 24, 2024
Pairs of rabbits come together, produce litters of new rabbits, and then the new rabbits grow up to pair off themselves and make even more rabbits.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2023
All the men and women pair off and go marching in to eat food that's like as not gotten cold by the time they get there.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
