n.
- One that is united or associated with another or others in an activity or a sphere of common interest, especially:
- A member of a business partnership.
- A spouse.
- A domestic partner. See Usage Note at domestic partner.
- Either of two persons dancing together.
- One of a pair or team in a sport or game, such as tennis or bridge.
- Nautical. A wooden framework used to strengthen a ship's deck at the point where a mast or other structure passes through it. Often used in the plural.
v., -nered, -ner·ing, -ners. v.tr.
- To make a partner of.
- To bring together as partners.
- To be the partner of.
To work or perform as a partner or partners.
[Middle English partener, alteration (influenced by part, part) of parcener, parcener; see parcener.]
SYNONYMS partner, colleague, ally, confederate. These nouns all denote one who is united or associated with another, as in a venture or relationship. A partner participates in a relationship in which each member has equal status: a partner in a law firm. A colleague is an associate in an occupation or a profession: a colleague and fellow professor. An ally is one who associates with another, at least temporarily, in a common cause: countries that were allies in World War II. A confederate is a member of a confederacy, a league, or an alliance or sometimes a collaborator in a suspicious venture: confederates in a scheme to oust the chairman.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
