Meaning of “pet” in the English Dictionary

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"pet" in English

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petnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /pet/ us ​ /pet/

pet noun [ C ] (ANIMAL)

A1 an animal that is kept in the home as a companion and treated kindly:

They have several pets - a dog, two rabbits, and a guinea pig.
a pet snake

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pet noun [ C ] (PERSON)

be sb's pet disapproving

› to be the person that someone in authority likes best and treats better than anyone else:

The other children hated her because she was the teacher's pet.

› informal approving a kind person who is easy to like:

He's always sending me flowers - he's a real pet!

› UK informal a friendly way of talking to someone, especially a woman or a child:

Thank you, pet.

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petverb

uk ​ /pet/ us ​ /pet/ -tt-

› [ T ] If you pet an animal, child, etc., you touch it, him, or her gently and kindly with your hands:

Our dog loves to be petted and tickled behind the ears.

› [ I ] informal If two people are petting, they are kissing and touching each other in a sexual way.

See also
heavy petting

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petadjective

uk ​ /pet/ us ​ /pet/

(Definition of “pet” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"pet" in American English

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petnoun [ C ]

us ​ /pet/

pet noun [ C ] (ANIMAL)

› an animal that is kept in the home as a companion and treated affectionately:

She has several interesting pets, including a couple of snakes.

petadjective [ not gradable ]

us ​ /pet/

pet adjective [ not gradable ] (LIKED)

› especially liked or personally important:

The legislation will face strong opposition from senators whose pet projects would be cut back.

petverb [ I/T ]

us ​ /pet/ -tt-

pet verb [ I/T ] (TOUCH)

› to touch an animal or person gently and affectionately with the hands:

[ T ] Our dog loves to be petted and tickled behind the ears.

(Definition of “pet” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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