playmate
Americannoun
-
a companion, especially of a child, in play or recreation.
-
Informal. a social companion or lover; girlfriend or boyfriend.
He showed up at the nightclub with his new playmate.
noun
Etymology
Origin of playmate
Explanation
A playmate is a child's pal or buddy. If you grew up in a rural area, far from your closest neighbors, your main playmates may have been your own brothers and sisters. Parents worry when their kids don't have many playmates — although some children simply prefer solitary activities to group games with friends. Babysitting one little girl might seem like an easy job, until six of her favorite playmates come over to play hide-and-seek indoors. Playmate was coined in the 1600s, from play and mate, "comrade or companion."
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.
And speaking of powerful unelected people, the name Elon Musk comes to mind, and Trump’s Oval Office playmate has his own beef with the Coastal Commission.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2025
The clip highlighted an obvious imbalance between a male figure – disingenuously portrayed as a fellow playmate – in a position of power to a teenage girl.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2024
But in the meantime, mother chimps continue to be their offspring's primary playmate, tickling, chasing, playing 'airplane'.
From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2024
They ran into a playmate of their son.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 2023
She had lost her playmate just as Emma had lost Fanny all those years ago.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
