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seatmate

American  
[seet-meyt] / ˈsitˌmeɪt /

noun

  1. a person who shares a seat or occupies the seat next to oneself on a bus, plane, etc.

Etymology

Origin of seatmate

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; seat + mate 1

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.

That’s what happened to my seatmate on a flight from Atlanta to Orlando late Monday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

In an interview after the game with ESPN, Capobianco said that his actions and those of his seatmate, John Peter, were premeditated.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

Meanwhile, Mr Davis’ seatmate Toby Pearl, from Wales, was providing CPR to a passenger who was unconscious.

From BBC • May 28, 2024

On the flight to Nashville, my seatmate, a nurse and a practicing Catholic, clocking my reading material, confessed her love for Kingsbury.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2024

I certainly didn’t want to offend my seatmate by using the wrong fork.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

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.