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Pair vs. Pare — What's the Difference?

Pair vs. Pare — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Pair and Pare

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Pair

Two corresponding persons or items, similar in form or function and matched or associated
A pair of shoes.

Pare

To remove the outer covering or skin of with a knife or similar instrument
Pare apples.

Pair

One object composed of two joined, similar parts that are dependent upon each other
A pair of pliers.

Pare

To remove by or as if by cutting, clipping, or shaving
Pared off the excess dough.
Pared fat from the budget.

Pair

Two persons who are married, engaged, or dating.
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Pare

To reduce, as in quantity or size; trim
Pare expenses.

Pair

Two persons who have something in common and are considered together
A pair of hunters.

Pare

(transitive) To remove the outer covering or skin of something with a cutting device, typically a knife.
Victor pared some apples in preparation to make a tart.

Pair

Two mated animals.

Pare

To reduce, diminish or trim gradually something as if by cutting off.
Albert had to pare his options down by disregarding anything beyond his meager budget.

Pair

Two animals joined together in work.

Pare

To trim the hoof of a horse.

Pair

(Games) Two playing cards of the same denomination.

Pare

To sharpen a pencil.

Pair

Two members of a deliberative body with opposing opinions on a given issue who agree to abstain from voting on the issue, thereby offsetting each other.

Pare

To cut off, or shave off, the superficial substance or extremities of; as, to pare an apple; to pare a horse's hoof.

Pair

(Chemistry) An electron pair.

Pare

To remove; to separate; to cut or shave, as the skin, rind, or outside part, from anything; - followed by off or away; as, to pare off the rind of fruit; to pare away redundancies.

Pair

To arrange in sets of two; couple
The golfers are paired in twosomes for this round of play.

Pare

Fig.: To diminish the bulk of; to reduce; to lessen.
The king began to pare a little the privilege of clergy.

Pair

To combine or join (one person or thing) with another to form a pair
A director pairing his favorite actor with an unknown.
A salad that is paired with a fine dressing.

Pare

Decrease gradually or bit by bit

Pair

To form pairs or a pair
The people on the dance floor paired up.

Pare

Cut small bits or pare shavings from;
Whittle a piece of wood

Pair

To join with another in love or mating.

Pare

Strip the skin off;
Pare apples

Pair

Two similar or identical things taken together; often followed by of.
I couldn't decide which of the pair of designer shirts I preferred, so I bought the pair.

Pare

Remove the edges from and cut down to the desired size;
Pare one's fingernails
Trim the photograph
Trim lumber

Pair

One of the constituent items that make up a pair.

Pair

Two people in a relationship, partnership or friendship.
Spouses should make a great pair.

Pair

Used with binary nouns (often in the plural to indicate multiple instances, since such nouns are plural only, except in some technical contexts)
A pair of scissors; two pairs of spectacles; several pairs of jeans

Pair

A couple of working animals attached to work together, as by a yoke.
A pair is harder to drive than two mounts with separate riders.

Pair

(cards) A poker hand that contains two cards of identical rank, which cannot also count as a better hand.

Pair

(cricket) A score of zero runs (a duck) in both innings of a two-innings match.

Pair

A double play, two outs recorded in one play.
They turned a pair to end the fifth.

Pair

A doubleheader, two games played on the same day between the same teams
The Pirates took a pair from the Phillies.

Pair

(rowing) A boat for two sweep rowers.

Pair

(slang) A pair of breasts
She's got a gorgeous pair.

Pair

(slang) A pair of testicles
Grow a pair, mate.

Pair

The exclusion of one member of a parliamentary party from a vote, if a member of the other party is absent for important personal reasons.

Pair

Two members of opposite parties or opinion, as in a parliamentary body, who mutually agree not to vote on a given question, or on issues of a party nature during a specified time.
There were two pairs on the final vote.

Pair

(archaic) A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set.

Pair

(kinematics) In a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion; named in accordance with the motion it permits, as in turning pair, sliding pair, twisting pair.

Pair

(transitive) To group into one or more sets of two.
The wedding guests were paired boy/girl and groom's party/bride's party.

Pair

(computing) to link two electronic devices wirelessly together, especially through a protocol such as Bluetooth
It was not possible to pair my smartphone with an incompatible smartwatch.

Pair

(transitive) To bring two (animals, notably dogs) together for mating.

Pair

(intransitive) To come together for mating.

Pair

To engage (oneself) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.

Pair

(intransitive) To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.

Pair

To impair, to make worse.

Pair

To become worse, to deteriorate.

Pair

A number of things resembling one another, or belonging together; a set; as, a pair or flight of stairs. "A pair of beads." Chaucer. Beau. & Fl. "Four pair of stairs." Macaulay. [Now mostly or quite disused.]
Two crowns in my pocket, two pair of cards.

Pair

Two things of a kind, similar in form, suited to each other, and intended to be used together; as, a pair of gloves or stockings; a pair of shoes.

Pair

Two of a sort; a span; a yoke; a couple; a brace; as, a pair of horses; a pair of oxen.

Pair

A married couple; a man and wife.

Pair

A single thing, composed of two pieces fitted to each other and used together; as, a pair of scissors; a pair of pants; a pair of tongs; a pair of bellows.

Pair

Two members of opposite parties or opinion, as in a parliamentary body, who mutually agree not to vote on a given question (in order, for example, to allow the members to be absent during the vote without affecting the outcome of the vote), or on issues of a party nature during a specified time; as, there were two pairs on the final vote.

Pair

In a mechanism, two elements, or bodies, which are so applied to each other as to mutually constrain relative motion.

Pair

To be joined in pairs; to couple; to mate, as for breeding.

Pair

To suit; to fit, as a counterpart.
My heart was made to fit and pair with thine.

Pair

Same as To pair off. See phrase below.

Pair

To unite in couples; to form a pair of; to bring together, as things which belong together, or which complement, or are adapted to one another.
Glossy jet is paired with shining white.

Pair

To engage (one's self) with another of opposite opinions not to vote on a particular question or class of questions.

Pair

To impair.

Pair

A set of two similar things considered as a unit

Pair

Two items of the same kind

Pair

Two people considered as a unit

Pair

A poker hand with 2 cards of the same value

Pair

Form a pair or pairs;
The two old friends paired off

Pair

Bring two objects, ideas, or people together;
This fact is coupled to the other one
Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man?
The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project

Pair

Occur in pairs

Pair

Arrange in pairs;
Pair these numbers

Pair

Make love;
Birds mate in the Spring

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