any domesticated or tamed animal that is kept as a companion and cared for affectionately.
a person especially cherished or indulged; favorite.
He was the teacher's pet.
a thing particularly cherished.
kept or treated as a pet.
a pet lamb.
especially cherished or indulged, as a child or other person.
favorite; most preferred.
a pet theory.
showing fondness or affection.
to address someone with pet words.
a tame animal kept in a household for companionship, amusement, etc
a person who is fondly indulged; favourite
teacher's pet
kept as a pet
a pet dog
of or for pet animals
pet food
particularly cherished; favourite
a pet theory
a pet hatred
familiar or affectionate
a pet name
a single fine day during a period of bad weather
(tr) to treat (a person, animal, etc) as a pet; pamper
(tr) to pat or fondle (an animal, child, etc)
informal (intr) (of two people) to caress each other in an erotic manner, as during lovemaking (often in the phrase heavy petting )
What does pet mean? A pet is any animal that is tamed and trained to be kept as a companion, such as a dog or a bird. To pet means to stroke or rub an animal’s fur or body in a cherished way. A pet can also be a person or object that someone cherishes or indulges. Finally, pet can describe something that is cherished, such as a pet theory. Example: She is so extravagant that she has a big birthday party for her pet dog every year.
First recorded in 1500–10; perhaps back formation from pet lamb. shortened variant of petty lamb “little lamb”; see petty
First recorded in 1590–1600; origin uncertain; cf. pettish
First recorded in 1975–80
A pet is an animal you keep as a companion, usually in your house. People love to pet, or touch, their pets. A pet is also a favorite. A teacher’s pet is the teacher’s fave student. No barking required. Your pet might be a hamster in a cage or a big dog that sleeps in your bed. Farm animals, like cows and goats, aren't usually considered to be pets, but that’s how the word started. Pet comes from Scottish dialect and used to refer to a favorite animal that got to come live inside, like Wilbur the pig in Charlotte’s Web. Pet is also a creepy form of endearment. When pet is a verb, it means “to stroke or caress.”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet that’s what makes adopting a senior pet so rewarding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Following the introduction of the new rules, pet searches dropped by more than 50% in May and June compared with a year earlier.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Some evacuees have brought their cats and dogs with them, and bags of pet food and cat litter have been made available.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
A family once tried to sneak a pet parrot into the buffet, tucking it into a wagon next to their small child.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
So that was the end of the pet parade, and it left a big empty spot in the day’s activities, which the teachers had to fill up somehow.
From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson
That’s roughly how much of the resin used in the U.S. to make PET bottles and other packaging comes from Asia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
PET is the plastic used to make water bottles and food packaging.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Published in Nature Communications, the research combines evidence from mice and humans, including brain tissue analysis and so-called PET scanning.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2026
A series of chemical processes then transform those fossil fuels into Polyethylene terephthalate -- or PET -- which the bottle is made from.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
But one key difference is that a PET scan lets researchers look at various neurotransmitters, and cellular activity—a power unimaginable just a few generations ago.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
“Or cuddling with your pet. Service and volunteerism can also be a joy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
Fighting back tears, Ms O'Malley said: "I miss her so much. She was my little friend, my pet. I'm literally dizzy with grief and it's the same every day."
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2024
"People see friends as lonely or wanting companionship, and they recommend getting a pet. But it's unlikely that it'll be as transformative as people think."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2023
“It’s a patient with five family members and a pet. It’s a sad state of affairs, but you have to draw some limits.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2017
"I thought that, too. Amber was always the boring one. My mother's pet. It all sounded outlandish. But it was like she changed. Became a different person. More like you, and less like her."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
All the commands that we have for suffering, are either to direct the manner of it, that it be patiently and cheerfully, when forced to it wrongfully, 1 Pet. ii.
From A Hind Let Loose Or, An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland for the Interest of Christ. With the True State Thereof in All Its Periods by Shields, Alexander
Later in the same year Ziegler published more fragments from the same MS., which had been used in covering some other books; these give us 1 Pet. i. 8-19; ii. 20-iii.
From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. II. by Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose
You will be sorry to hear that not Alford nor Tennant, but Hildyard Pet. hath obtained the second.
From Tennyson and His Friends by Various
Pet. iii., where he says: "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
From The Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude Preached and Explained by Gillett, E. H. (Ezra Hall)
When we contemplate on this marvellous Work, as that which the Angels desire to look into, 1 Pet. i.
From John Woolman's Journal by Woolman, John
He spent a full minute sniffing my legs and shoes, after coming up to Viana to be petted.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Attendees wearing cowboy hats line danced, petted fluffy white calves and posed for pictures in front of an inflated cactus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
The pair shook hands with members of the public, accepted gifts and flowers, and also petted a few dogs beside some delighted owners.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2025
The boldest cats entered huts and perhaps allowed themselves to be petted – kittens are adorable! – and, voilà, the domestic cat was born.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2023
Among their favorite activities are eating, grooming themselves, climbing, running, spinning, taking a nap and being petted.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Salgado said his father was a routine-oriented family man who left for work early and loved to end the day sitting on his porch, listening to music and petting his dog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
After building many homes in the Houston suburbs, Lorenzo Salgado finally built his own, where he would sit every evening after work, listening to music and petting his dog, Ronaldo Salgado said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Capybaras occasionally wander into the café, though petting them isn’t allowed.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Sixteen people have become unwell with after visiting a petting farm in Edinburgh.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
"I bought the petting zoo a few weeks ago," Mr. Johnson explained.
From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene
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.
