mate
/meɪt/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈet] /meɪt/ (ame, ipa) · [mˈet] /ˈmāt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈmæt.eɪ/ (bre, ipa) · [mˈet] /ˈmɑː.teɪ/ (ame, ipa)
mate — 名詞
- matesingular
- matesplural
1. a friend you know well and spend time with in a relaxed, informal way
好友
感情好的朋友
a friend you know well and spend time with in a relaxed, informal way
Nila met an old mate outside the cinema after work.
Nila 下班後在電影院外見了一位老朋友。
informal noun: old mate
Diego still plays football every Sunday with his school mates.
Diego 每個星期天仍會和學校好友一起踢足球。
Shirin asked her best mate to check the concert tickets.
Shirin 請她最好的好友確認演唱會門票。
When the train was late, Wei called a mate for company.
火車誤點時，Wei 打電話找一位好友作伴。
用法筆記
Common in casual British, Australian, and New Zealand English. It suggests personal familiarity, not just knowing someone from work.
常見錯誤
2. a casual word used when speaking directly to someone, often a man or a stranger
老兄
親切叫人的說法
a casual word used when speaking directly to someone, often a man or a stranger
Excuse me, mate, is this seat free please?
不好意思，老兄，這個位子可以坐嗎？
vocative: mate in a request
Slow down, mate, the road is icy tonight.
慢一點，老兄，今晚路面很滑。
Thanks, mate, that was exactly the tool I needed.
謝啦，老兄，那正是我需要的工具。
Sorry, mate, you dropped your receipt by the till.
抱歉，老兄，你的收據掉在櫃台旁邊了。
- pal
similarly informal, but often sounds more playful or old-fashioned
用法筆記
Usually appears in direct speech. Distinguish from sense 2: here mate is how you address someone, not how you describe the relationship.
常見錯誤
3. a person who does a task, trip, sport, or period of work with you
搭檔；同伴
一起做事或同行的人
a person who does a task, trip, sport, or period of work with you
Putri was my mate for the doubles final last Saturday.
Putri 是我上週六雙打決賽的搭檔。
partner in a shared activity
On the hike, my mate carried the map while I carried lunch.
健行時，我的同伴拿地圖，我拿午餐。
During training, each recruit was assigned a mate from the same team.
訓練期間，每位新兵都被分配到同一隊的一名搭檔。
Tariro became my mate on the night shift at the hospital.
Tariro 成了我在醫院值夜班時的搭檔。
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense focuses on sharing a task or situation, not on close friendship.
常見錯誤
4. the person someone is married to or has a steady love relationship with
伴侶
固定交往或結婚伴侶
the person someone is married to or has a steady love relationship with
Putri brought her mate to the family wedding in Tainan.
Putri 帶著她的伴侶去台南參加家族婚禮。
informal word for a partner
After ten years abroad, Asher moved back in with his mate.
在國外待了十年後，Asher 搬回去和伴侶同住。
The form asked whether Maeve and her mate shared the lease.
表格詢問 Maeve 和她的伴侶是否共用租約。
My mate stayed beside me through the whole hospital night.
我的伴侶整個夜晚都在醫院陪著我。
用法筆記
Usually refers to a serious relationship. Distinguish from sense 8, which is about sharing an activity or job rather than romance.
常見錯誤
5. an animal that another animal joins with in order to produce young
交配對象
動物用來繁殖的對象
an animal that another animal joins with in order to produce young
In spring, each swan returns to the same mate by the lake.
春天時，每隻天鵝都會回到湖邊同一個交配對象身邊。
animal breeding partner
The male fox searched the woods for a mate last winter.
那隻公狐狸去年冬天一直在林中尋找交配對象。
Zookeepers kept the panda near a possible mate during breeding season.
管理員把那隻貓熊放在可能的交配對象附近，正值繁殖季。
A female penguin called loudly when her mate came back from sea.
當牠的交配對象從海上回來時，那隻母企鵝大聲鳴叫。
- partner
more general and less tied to breeding
用法筆記
Usually used in biology or when talking about breeding animals, not about ordinary human relationships.
6. a worker who helps someone in a skilled job such as plumbing or carpentry
助手
協助技工工作的幫手
a worker who helps someone in a skilled job such as plumbing or carpentry
The plumber sent his mate to carry the new pipes upstairs.
那位水電工叫助手把新水管搬上樓。
trade job: plumber's mate
Ava learned to mix cement while working as a builder's mate.
Ava 在當工地助手時學會了怎麼拌水泥。
The electrician's mate held the ladder during the repair.
電工的助手在修理時扶著梯子。
Our roofer and his mate finished the shed before rain came.
我們的屋頂工和他的助手在下雨前完成了那間棚子。
用法筆記
Often appears after the name of a trade, as in plumber's mate or builder's mate.
7. a senior crew member on a commercial vessel below the captain
船副
商船上協助船長的船員
a senior crew member on a commercial vessel below the captain
After breakfast, the mate checked the cargo list on deck.
早餐後，船副在甲板上檢查貨物清單。
merchant ship officer
The captain asked the mate to watch the weather reports.
船長叫船副留意天氣報告。
Christopher served as first mate on a grain ship last year.
Christopher 去年在一艘運糧船上擔任大副。
- officer
broader and not limited to merchant shipping
用法筆記
Commonly appears in titles such as first mate or chief mate on commercial ships.
8. one of two things that are made to go together or look the same
成對物
兩個中相配的一個
one of two things that are made to go together or look the same
I found one glove, but its mate was under the bed.
我找到一隻手套，但它的成對物還在床底下。
one item in a pair
The museum finally recovered the mate to the broken vase lid.
博物館終於找回那個破花瓶蓋子的成對物。
This sock is darker than its mate after the wash.
這隻襪子洗過後比它的成對物顏色更深。
- match
common everyday word for something that pairs correctly
- counterpart
more formal and wider in meaning
用法筆記
Usually refers to objects that belong in a pair, such as gloves, socks, or joined parts.
mate — 動詞
- matepresent simple I / you / we / they
- mates3rd person singular
- mating-ing form
- matedpast simple
1. if animals mate, they have sex to produce young; people can also pair animals fo
交配
動物交合繁殖
if animals mate, they have sex to produce young; people can also pair animals for breeding
Most deer mate in autumn before the weather turns cold.
大多數鹿會在天氣轉冷前的秋天交配。
intransitive: animals mate
The farmers mate the strongest ram with several ewes.
農夫讓最強壯的公羊和幾隻母羊交配。
transitive: mate animals with each other
Penguins usually mate for the season after a long courtship.
企鵝通常在長時間求偶後於該季交配。
Breeders refused to mate the dog until it was older.
繁殖者拒絕讓那隻狗在年紀更大前交配。
- breed
close in meaning, especially in the transitive farming sense
文法句型
animals mate
mate animals with each other
用法筆記
Subject is usually animals, and the transitive pattern is common in farming or breeding contexts.
2. to join closely or to match another part so the two fit together properly
接合；配對
讓兩部分對上結合
to join closely or to match another part so the two fit together properly
Push the two metal ends together until they mate.
把兩端金屬推到一起，直到它們接合。
parts fit together exactly
The new pipe would not mate with the old valve.
這根新管子無法和舊閥門配對。
Engineers designed the plug to mate with several cables.
工程師設計這個插頭去和好幾種纜線接合。
文法句型
parts mate
mate A with B
用法筆記
Objects are usually machine parts, plugs, pipes, or surfaces that must line up exactly.
mate — 名詞
- matesingular
- matesplural
1. checkmate in chess, or the final losing position created by it
將死；絕境
棋局將死或徹底敗局
checkmate in chess, or the final losing position created by it
One careless move left the king in mate on the next turn.
一個粗心的走法讓國王在下一回合就陷入將死。
chess: be in mate
By move thirty, Black was already in mate after the rook check.
走到第三十步時，黑方在車將後已經進入將死。
The puzzle looked simple, but the hidden mate came quickly.
那道題看起來很簡單，但隱藏的將死很快就出現了。
- checkmate
the full and more common form
用法筆記
Mostly a chess term. In modern everyday English, full checkmate is more common than the shorter noun mate.
mate — 動詞
- matepresent simple I / you / we / they
- mates3rd person singular
- mating-ing form
- matedpast simple
1. to defeat an opponent in chess by trapping the king so it cannot escape
將死
在西洋棋中逼死國王
to defeat an opponent in chess by trapping the king so it cannot escape
With the queen on the corner square, Christopher mated Black in two moves.
當皇后走到角落那格時，Christopher 兩步內就把黑方將死了。
chess: mate in two moves
The coach showed us how to mate with a rook and king.
教練教我們怎麼用一個車和國王把對手將死。
Ava smiled after finally mating her brother in chess.
Ava 終於在西洋棋裡把哥哥將死後笑了起來。
- checkmate
the more common full verb form
文法句型
mate someone in chess
mate in two
用法筆記
Usually appears in set patterns such as mate in two or mate with rook and king.
mate — 名詞
1. a South American drink made by soaking the dried leaves of a holly plant in hot
瑪黛茶
南美常喝的草本飲料
a South American drink made by soaking the dried leaves of a holly plant in hot water
Wei poured hot water over the mate before passing the cup.
Wei 把熱水倒進瑪黛茶裡後把杯子傳給別人。
drink: prepare and pass mate
At the market, David bought a bag of yerba mate.
在市場上，David 買了一袋耶巴瑪黛茶。
On the bus through Argentina, Christopher drank mate to stay awake.
穿越阿根廷的巴士旅程中，Christopher 喝瑪黛茶提神。
- yerba mate
the fuller name, especially for the dried leaves
用法筆記
Often written as maté in older texts, especially when the writer wants to highlight the South American drink.