partner
partner — noun
1. a person, group, or country that works closely with another one for a shared pur
a person, group, or country that works closely with another one for a shared purpose.
Japan remains a key trade partner for several island nations.
trade partner
The hospital found a local partner to run the mobile clinic.
After the merger, each school needed a stronger research partner.
Mila thanked her project partner for checking every interview note.
project partner
- trade partner
- local partner
- research partner
- project partner
- associate
a broad word for someone connected with you in work or activity
- ally
often stresses support toward the same goal
- collaborator
focuses on doing work together on something specific
- rival
someone or something working against the same side instead of with it
Grammar Patterns
partner in a project
trade partner
local partner
Usage Note
Often modified by words such as trade, research, or local. This sense can refer to organizations or countries, not only individual people.
Common Mistakes
2. a person who shares ownership of a business with one or more other people.
a person who shares ownership of a business with one or more other people.
Rosa became a partner in the law firm at forty.
partner in a firm
Two partners opened the bakery with money from their families.
As senior partner, Mr. Lin signs every large contract.
senior partner
The accountant warned the partners about the new tax rules.
- business partner
- senior partner
- managing partner
- partner in a firm
- co-owner
a close match that stresses shared ownership
- joint owner
plain and legal-sounding, with focus on owning together
- principal
used in some professional firms for a leading owner
- employee
someone who works for the business without owning it
Grammar Patterns
partner in a firm
senior partner
managing partner
Usage Note
Common in legal, accounting, consulting, and family-business contexts. It usually appears with in or of plus the business name.
Common Mistakes
3. someone in your close love life, such as a husband, wife, or person you live wit
someone in your close love life, such as a husband, wife, or person you live with.
Nina brought her partner to the school concert on Friday.
bring your partner
The form asks whether your partner lives at the same address.
common in forms and official language
After dinner, Omar and his partner walked home by the river.
Lena's partner stayed at the hospital through the long night.
- long-term partner
- former partner
- live with a partner
- bring your partner
- ex-partner
someone who was once in the relationship but is not now
Grammar Patterns
bring your partner
live with a partner
former partner
Usage Note
Gender-neutral and useful when marital status is unknown, private, or not the main point. Distinguish from sense 4, which is about the person who does an activity with you.
Common Mistakes
4. one of two people who do a game, sport, dance, or similar activity together.
one of two people who do a game, sport, dance, or similar activity together.
Ella asked Sofia to be her partner for the first dance.
partner for a dance
My tennis partner hurt his ankle during Saturday's match.
tennis partner
In class, each child needs a partner for the card game.
The coach changed Maya's partner before the doubles final.
doubles partner
- dance partner
- tennis partner
- doubles partner
- partner for the game
- teammate
broader and can refer to a whole team, not only a pair
- doubles partner
specific to a two-person sports team
- dance partner
specific to dancing rather than games or sports in general
- opponent
the person or side playing against you
Grammar Patterns
partner for a dance
tennis partner
doubles partner
Usage Note
Often used with for when naming the activity, or before a sport noun such as tennis or dance. Distinguish from sense 1, which can describe a broader working relationship.
Common Mistakes
partner — verb
1. to do a game, dance, or similar activity with someone, or to put two people toge
to do a game, dance, or similar activity with someone, or to put two people together for it.
Rina partnered Alex in the final practice before the show.
partner + person in an activity
At the club, beginners partner with older dancers on Thursdays.
partner with + person
The teacher partnered each new student with a reading buddy.
partner someone with + person
For the relay game, Noah was partnered with the fastest runner.
passive: be partnered with
- partner with older dancers
- partner someone with a buddy
- be partnered with a runner
- partner for the final practice
- pair
the most direct verb for putting two people together
- match
often stresses that the two people suit each other
- team up with
more informal and often used for working together
- separate
to keep the two people apart instead of together
Grammar Patterns
partner with + person
partner someone with + person
be partnered with + person
Usage Note
Only verb sense that commonly appears in partner with, partner someone with, and passive be partnered with. It is used for dance, class, or doubles situations rather than business cooperation.
Common Mistakes
2. to work on business or public projects together with another group or person.
to work on business or public projects together with another group or person.
The museum partnered with a bank to fund the new wing.
partner with + organization
Three farms partnered to sell fruit under one local name.
partner to + shared aim
Last year, our startup partnered with two schools on lunch software.
partner on + project
The charity hopes to partner with village shops next spring.
- partner with a bank
- partner on a project
- partner to expand sales
- partner with local schools
- collaborate
a broad verb for working together on a task or project
- team up
more informal and less specifically business-focused
- join forces
stresses combining effort toward one result
- compete
to work against another side instead of with it
Grammar Patterns
partner with + organization
partner to + shared aim
partner on + project
Usage Note
Usually followed by with plus the other organization, or by to plus the shared aim. Distinguish from verb sense 1, which is about being someone's pair in an activity.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- partnershipnounB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/3
For noun sense 3, partner is a flexible, gender-neutral word for the person in your close romantic relationship. Spouse is narrower because it normally means a husband or wife in a legal marriage. Companion can sound warmer or older-fashioned, but it is broader and may not clearly imply romance. Lover is more intimate and often stresses the sexual side of the relationship. Boyfriend and girlfriend are common for dating, but they can sound younger or less formal than partner, especially in official or workplace contexts. Compare: The invitation lets you bring your partner. Her spouse signed the hospital form. Mia introduced Ben as her boyfriend.
Etymology
Partner is related to the idea of having a part or share in something. It came into English through French and first referred to someone who shared in an activity or business with another person. From that core idea, English later widened the word to personal relationships, sports pairs, and organizations working together.