partner
Americannoun
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a person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor; sharer; associate.
- Synonyms:
- accomplice, accessory, colleague
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Law.
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a person associated with another or others as a principal or a contributor of capital in a business or a joint venture, usually sharing its risks and profits.
-
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a spouse; a husband or a wife.
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the person with whom one cohabits in a romantic relationship.
I'd like you to meet my partner, Sarah.
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either of two people who dance together.
my favorite partner in the waltz.
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a player on the same side or team as another.
My tennis partner was an excellent player.
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Nautical. partners, a framework of timber round a hole in a ship's deck, to support a mast, capstan, pump, etc.
verb (used with object)
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to associate as a partner or partners with.
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to serve as the partner of.
noun
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an ally or companion
a partner in crime
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a member of a partnership
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one of a pair of dancers or players on the same side in a game
my bridge partner
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either member of a couple in a relationship
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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partnersimple
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partnerssimple
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have partneredperfect
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has partneredperfect
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am partneringprogressive
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are partneringprogressive
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is partneringprogressive
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have been partneringperfect progressive
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has been partneringperfect progressive
Past
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partneredsimple
-
had partneredperfect
-
was partneringprogressive
-
were partneringprogressive
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had been partneringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of partner
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English partener, alteration of parcener by association with part
Explanation
If you open a lemonade stand with your brother, then your brother is your business partner. Partner means "to pair up." At a square dance, the call "partner up!" means it's time to find someone to dance with. In business, there are often multiple partners — each one owns a share of the business, and has a share of the risk. Some people call their spouse or the person they're in a long-term relationship with their partner — it has more egalitarian senses than "husband" or "wife," and signals commitment even if you're not married.
Vocabulary lists containing partner
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Relationships
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Chapter 20: The Industrial Age
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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:
“If this was your partner’s goal and you helped your partner achieve it, I hope you’d feel glad you helped them do what they needed to do.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
“I am very uncomfortable. I am not enjoying this moment at all,” Trae Stephens, co-founder of weapons maker Anduril Industries and a partner at Founders Fund, said recently on the podcast “Uncapped.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Last month, Justice Secretary David Lammy announced plans to raise the minimum starting sentence for murdering a current or former partner to 25 years - in line with other premeditated killings.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
"There is no uniform national framework prescribing consistent standards of financial transparency across all religious institutions," said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner at KS Legal & Associates.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
First day or no first day, we looked like the partner team of clueless and buffle-brain.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Now her Reddit comment history is full of replies to posts about infant loss and avoidant partners, offering advice, support, and stories of her own experience.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
The partners conducted private business alongside that of the government, creating obvious potential for conflicts of interest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Coast Guard and other partners, conducted a grid search for the vessel, which is believed to be about 120 feet deep in a rocky seabed, using boat-mounted sonar platforms and other tools.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Irranca-Davies said the arrangements are backed by close co-operation with police, including an on-site presence and intelligence sharing, as well as work with security partners across Wales and the UK.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Long Beach Savings, it appeared to Eisman and his partners, specialized in asking homeowners with bad credit and no proof of income to accept floating-rate mortgages.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Together he and Clinton cofounded and cochaired the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, traveled abroad together on congressional delegations, and partnered on climate policy and healthcare initiatives.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation in tensions between two companies that partnered in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into Apple's products.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The lightbulb went on, he and his partners came up with a plan, they strategically partnered with Panasonic for the tech, and the rest is history.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The team was willing to give up Brown—a five-time All-Star whom the Celtics had drafted, partnered with Tatum and nurtured into a champion—to acquire the best player available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
If we had gotten partnered today, that would’ve been the first step.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Linked Learning steps in by partnering with schools and guiding students on how to earn college credit through dual community college enrollment, internships and industry certifications.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
He added: "I'm excited to play live in front of a home crowd and amazing to be partnering with the BBC and Sony Music Vision on the Saturday show."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Primary Wave Music, known for buying up musicians’ catalogs, is partnering with investor Richard Hurowitz for literary deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Reports that Charter Communications has discussed partnering with SpaceX on a consumer mobile phone in the U.S. pressured telecom stocks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, partnering for sports activities.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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.
