pet

noun

An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.

(by extension) Something kept as a companion, including inanimate objects (pet rock, pet plant, etc.).

Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a darling.

One who is excessively loyal to a superior and receives preferential treatment.

A fit of petulance, a sulk, arising from the impression that one has been offended or slighted.

(Ireland, Geordie) A term of endearment usually applied to women and children.

Abbreviation of petition. [A formal written request made by an individual or a group of people to a sovereign or political authority, often containing many signatures, soliciting some grace, right, mercy, or the redress of some wrong or grievance.]

(uncountable, organic chemistry) Initialism of polyethylene terephthalate. [(organic chemistry) A thermoplastic resin of the polyester family used particularly in the manufacture of plastic bottles (PET) and fabrics (Terylene).]

(countable and uncountable, medicine) Acronym of positron emission tomography. [(medicine) A medical imaging technique which detects the gamma rays produced by positrons emitted from injected radionuclides.]

(countable, genetics) Acronym of paired-end tag. [(genetics) Any of the short sequences, at the 5′ and 3′ ends of a DNA fragment, that are sufficiently unique (theoretically) so as to exist together only once in a genome, therefore making the sequence of the DNA in between them available upon search.]

(medicine) Initialism of perineal ectopic testis (a rare congenital anomaly of the testis).

(Canadian politics) Initialism of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

(countable, historical, computing, backronym) Acronym of personal electronic transactor, a line of personal computers produced by Commodore International.

verb

(transitive) To stroke or fondle (an animal).

(transitive, intransitive, informal) To stroke or fondle (another person) amorously.

To be petulant or upset; to have a problem with.

(dated, transitive) To treat as a pet; to fondle; to indulge.

(archaic, intransitive) To be a pet.

(archaic, intransitive) To be peevish; to sulk.

adjective

(figurative) Favourite; cherished; the focus of one's (usually positive) attention.

(literally) Kept or treated as a pet.

(obsolete) Good; ideal.

Synonyms for pet

cockern

Synonyms & related words for pet

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of pet — including cocker. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to pet

Explore words related to pet — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include dog, doggy, puppy, paws, pooch, canine, cat, pup. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for pet

Common synonyms for pet include cocker — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.