1a set of two things used together or regarded as a unit:a pair of glovesthree pairs of shoes
two playing cards of the same denomination:Jacobs had two pairs
two people related in some way or considered together:a company run by a pair of brothersget out, the pair of you
the second member of a pair in relation to the first:each course member tries to persuade his pair of the merits of his model
a mated couple of animals:76 pairs of red kites
two horses harnessed side by side:she enjoys driving her pair
either or both of two members of a legislative assembly on opposite sides who absent themselves from voting by mutual arrangement, leaving the relative position of the parties unaffected:one minister was flatly refused a pair by his Tory opposite number
2an article consisting of two joined or corresponding parts not used separately:a pair of jeansa pair of scissors
ზმნა
Universal
put together or join to form a pair:a cardigan paired with a matching skirt
[no object] (of animals) form a pair for breeding purposes:killer whales pair for life
[no object] (pair off/up) form a romantic or sexual relationship:my friends had paired off and I was the only one playing the field
give (a member of a legislative assembly) another member as a pair, to allow both to absent themselves from a vote without affecting the result:arrangements are usually made between the party whips for an absent member on one side to be paired with an absentee on the other
pair of hands
used in reference to a person seen in terms of their participation in a task:we can always do with an extra pair of hands
