- present participle of pair.
pairing
Americannoun
-
pairings
plural
-
a coupling.
-
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:
Clarke says the effect can be made even cosier by pairing lighting with soft furnishings, such as floor-to-ceiling curtains and scatter cushions in different colours and patterns.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
DPC providers often recommend pairing membership with a high-deductible health plan that has a lower monthly premium.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
Upgrade the experience with a picnic and wine pairing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
But she also noted that Generation Z was pairing them with running shorts and otherwise finding new ways to wear them.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
When Jerry came in I looked up, saw that it was not Francis, and began shifting the bases in and out of various other pairing possibilities.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
Other high-profile pairings include world number one Aryna Sabalenka with 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, American pair Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, and six-time major champion Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Carolyn Campbell, the former head of clean technology innovation at Meta, and her team oversaw a request-for-proposal process in late 2024 that eventually led to the pairings with Oklo and TerraPower.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
As firms face an exit slowdown and a yearslong fundraising slump, an unexpected wave of good PR has come in the form of paparazzi photos featuring high-profile pairings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
After the pair were connected by podcaster Shawn Ryan, Biden sat down for a two-hour interview at Owens’ Nashville home studio in what is one of the year’s most surprising pairings.
From Salon ● May 23, 2026
Fischer had not only retained his title as United States Champion, he’d accomplished something unprecedented: For the third year in a row, he’d marched to the title without being defeated in any of the pairings.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
