- [countable] pair (of something) two things of the same type, especially when they are used or worn together
- a pair of shoes/boots
- a pair of gloves/earrings
- She pulled on the pair of socks he handed her.
- a huge pair of eyes
- A pair of hands grasped her shoulders.
- a pair of aces/kings (= two playing cards that have the same value)
- The winner will receive a pair of tickets to Reykjavik.
- The vase is one of a matching pair.
- Vermeer painted the two pictures as a pair.
Extra ExamplesTopics Clothes and Fashiona1- This sculpture was originally one of a pair owned by the King of France.
- a clean pair of socks
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- matching
- identical
- clean
- …
- in a/the pair
- in pairs
- pair of
- …
- one of a pair
- [countable] pair (of something) an object consisting of two parts that are joined together
- a pair of trousers/pants/jeans
- a pair of glasses/binoculars/scissors
- Buy one pair of glasses and get a second pair free.
- He was wearing a nice pair of denim jeans.
- [countable + singular or plural verb] two people who are doing something together or who have a particular relationship
- Get pairs of students to act out the dialogue in front of the class.
- Get the students to do the exercise as pair work (= two students work together).
- (informal) I've had enough of the pair of you!
- They might seem an unlikely pair, but they've been friends for years.
Extra Examples- I thought they would make a good pair so I arranged for them to meet.
- The pair were matched for age.
- They make an odd pair.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- happy
- odd
- match
- make
- in a/the pair
- [countable + singular or plural verb] two animals or birds of the same type that are producing young together
- a breeding pair
- a pair of swans
- pair bonding (= the process of animals forming a pair for breeding)
- The dominant pair is/are called the alpha male and female.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- breeding
- mating
- nesting
- …
- breed
- mate
- pair of
- [countable] two horses working together to pull a carriage
- a carriage and pair
two things the same
two parts joined
two people
two animals/birds
two horses
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French paire, from Latin paria ‘equal things’, neuter plural of par ‘equal’. Formerly phrases such as a pair of gloves were expressed without of, as in a pair gloves (compare with German ein Paar Handschuhe).
Idioms
See pair in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee pair in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishin pairs
- in groups of two objects or people
- Students worked in pairs on the project.
- These candles only come in pairs.
Homophones pair | pare | pearpair pare pear
/peə(r)/
/per/
- pair noun
- He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.
- pair verb
- The teacher decided to pair able students with those who were struggling.
- pare verb
- They had to pare the novel down for a two-hour film.
- pear noun
- Dessert was a delicious poached pear in red wine.
I’ve only got one pair of hands
- (informal) used to say that you are too busy to do anything else
a pair of hands
- (informal) a person who can do, or is doing, a job
- We need an extra pair of hands if we're going to finish on time.
a safe pair of hands
- (especially British English) a person that you can trust to do a job well
- Colleagues regard him as a safe pair of hands.
Check pronunciation:
pair