pair vs pare vs pear

Definitions

verb

1. bring two objects, ideas, or people together
2. form a pair or pairs
3. occur in pairs
4. engage in sexual intercourse
5. arrange in pairs

noun

1. two people considered as a unit
2. a set of two similar things considered as a unit
3. two items of the same kind
4. a poker hand with 2 cards of the same value

Examples

It's impossible to look at yourself in a pair of new frames and not see another character.

Davis looked up and gave a signal of approval, and after a quick bow, the pair of messengers was gone.

A substantial element of the system is the set of physical exercises performed in pairs and again based on the idea of the power of co-operation.

View all examples

Definitions

verb

1. decrease gradually or bit by bit
2. remove the edges from and cut down to the desired size
3. strip the skin off
4. cut small bits or pare shavings from

Examples

We carried spare water for the rad, a hand pump just in case the Dunlop pressure dropped, and maybe even a canister of petrol.

Fertilization therefore results in an egg carrying a nucleus with contributions from both parents, and it was concluded that the cell nucleus must contain the physical basis of heredity.

I learned how to negotiate fights between adolescent girls without making it seem like parental interference.

View all examples

Definitions

noun

1. Old World tree having sweet gritty-textured juicy fruit; widely cultivated in many varieties
2. sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties

Examples

He watched them disappear from his view, his father still waddling along with that bloody basket.

My generation was raised on a diet of stultifyingly tedious, but worthy accounts of embryology, typically very badly printed on what appeared to be rice paper.

But Sexton found Nicks for an easy 31-yard score on fourth down with 4: 11 left to seal it, and Nicks set the receiving record with a 22-yard catch a little later from T.J. Yates, making his first appearance in relief from a broken ankle suffered in September against Virginia Tech. Newspaper Home Delivery - Subscribe Today

View all examples