pet
pet — noun
1. an animal people keep at home because they enjoy its company
an animal people keep at home because they enjoy its company
Our family pet sleeps under the kitchen table every night.
family pet
Lila chose a rabbit as her first pet after months of asking.
No pets are allowed in the small hotel by the lake.
After school, Evan feeds the pets before he starts homework.
- family pet
- keep a pet
- pet dog
- pet owner
- pet food
- companion animal
a more formal term used especially in care or legal contexts
- house pet
emphasizes that the animal is kept at home
- domestic animal
broader and can include animals not kept mainly for company
- wild animal
lives naturally without human care
Grammar Patterns
keep + a pet
pet + noun
Usage Note
Common before another noun in phrases such as 'pet food', 'pet shop', and 'pet owner'. Distinguish from farm animals, which are usually kept for food or work.
Common Mistakes
2. a person who receives extra attention or better treatment from someone powerful,
a person who receives extra attention or better treatment from someone powerful, often in a way others think is unfair
Everyone knew Mia was the coach's pet after the team list changed.
be + someone's pet
The manager's pet always got the easiest desk near the window.
At school, being the teacher's pet made Noah unpopular with classmates.
teacher's pet
By Friday, the new intern was already the director's pet in meetings.
- the boss's pet
- the teacher's pet
- the manager's pet
- become someone's pet
- favorite
more neutral and can be fair, unlike 'pet', which often sounds unfair
- darling
can be similar in older or literary use, but often sounds more affectionate
- golden child
informal and often stronger in criticism
- outsider
someone without special access or favor
Grammar Patterns
someone's pet
be + someone's pet
Usage Note
Usually follows a possessive word naming the person in power, as in 'the boss's pet' or 'the teacher's pet'. Distinguish from sense 3, which is affectionate rather than critical.
Common Mistakes
3. someone people feel warmly toward because the person is kind, sweet, or easy to
someone people feel warmly toward because the person is kind, sweet, or easy to like
Aiko is a real pet, always remembering what each regular orders.
be + a pet
The twins brought soup to Mrs. Chen, and she called them pets.
call + someone + a pet
At church, Omar is a real pet, helping older people find seats.
The little boy was such a pet, sharing his sandwich with his crying sister.
- a real pet
- such a pet
- little pet
- darling
often stronger and more openly affectionate
- sweetheart
common in direct praise and can also be a form of address
- dear
broader and often less playful in tone
- nuisance
someone who annoys other people
Grammar Patterns
be + a pet
call + someone + a pet
Usage Note
An affectionate label for a lovable person. Distinguish from sense 2, which suggests unfair special treatment from a person in authority.
4. an affectionate word said directly to another person, often a child or a woman
an affectionate word said directly to another person, often a child or a woman
"Sit here, pet," the old woman said, moving her bag.
direct address: pet
The nurse smiled and asked, "Are you ready, pet?"
"Don't cry, pet," Dad said as he cleaned her knee.
At the bakery, the owner greeted every child with "Morning, pet."
- come here, pet
- don't cry, pet
- morning, pet
- dear
common and gentle, with a wider range of situations
- love
informal and regional in some kinds of British English
- sweetheart
warmer and often more emotional
Grammar Patterns
direct address: pet
Usage Note
Used directly to the listener, often in short spoken phrases. Distinguish from sense 3, which describes a lovable person rather than addressing someone.
5. a clear and durable plastic used especially for bottles and food containers
a clear and durable plastic used especially for bottles and food containers
The factory now makes PET bottles from partly recycled plastic.
PET bottle
Most cold tea bottles at the fair were made of clear PET.
made of PET
This jacket filling came from old PET bottles.
The label says the tray is PET and can be recycled.
- PET bottle
- PET tray
- made of PET
- recycled PET
- polyester plastic
a broader descriptive label rather than the exact technical name
Grammar Patterns
PET bottle
made of PET
Usage Note
Usually written in capitals in labels, recycling information, and product descriptions.
6. a scan that shows activity in different parts of the body using a small amount o
a scan that shows activity in different parts of the body using a small amount of radioactive material
The doctor ordered a PET scan after the first brain test.
PET scan
During the PET scan, Mina had to lie still for forty minutes.
during the PET scan
A PET scan showed which part of the heart was weak.
At the university hospital, PET scans track changes in the brain.
- PET scan
- order a PET scan
- have a PET scan
- PET imaging
- imaging test
much broader and can refer to many kinds of scans
- scan
general everyday word, not specific to this method
Grammar Patterns
PET scan
have a PET scan
Usage Note
Usually written in capitals and most often appears in the phrase 'PET scan'. Distinguish from the abbreviation entry, which focuses on the short form itself.
Common Mistakes
pet — verb
1. to move your hand over an animal or person in a gentle way to show affection or
to move your hand over an animal or person in a gentle way to show affection or comfort
Nora bent down to pet the sleepy cat by the heater.
pet + animal/person
At the farm, visitors may pet the baby goats after lunch.
After the shot, Maya petted her son's head until he stopped crying.
pet + someone gently
Before leaving, Rosa reached over and petted the old dog.
- pet a dog
- pet a cat
- pet gently
- pet the children
Grammar Patterns
pet + animal/person
pet + someone gently
Usage Note
Most natural with animals and children. With adults, it often sounds intimate or unusual unless the situation is very close and caring.
Common Mistakes
2. to kiss and hold another person closely as part of sexual play
to kiss and hold another person closely as part of sexual play
The film shows two teenagers petting in a parked car.
be petting
Lena's mother walked in while the couple were petting on the sofa.
The story says the couple petted in secret after the dance.
A 1950s magazine treated petting after dances as a serious problem.
- pet in a car
- pet on the sofa
- start petting
Grammar Patterns
be petting
pet + with + each other
Usage Note
Usually intransitive and often found in the progressive, as in 'were petting'. Distinguish from sense 1, which is gentle touching of an animal or person in a caring way.
Common Mistakes
pet — adjective
1. used for something you care about more than others of the same kind
used for something you care about more than others of the same kind
Clean river water is still Mayor Lin's pet issue.
pet + noun
Her pet project is the small library beside the station.
pet project
At every lunch meeting, school lunches were his pet subject.
The judge returned to her pet theory during the long interview.
- pet project
- pet subject
- pet theory
- pet hate
- pet issue
- least favorite
the thing someone likes or values the least
Grammar Patterns
pet + noun
Usage Note
Almost always used before a noun, especially with words such as 'project', 'subject', 'theory', and 'hate'. Distinguish from noun sense 2, which is a person receiving special favor.
Common Mistakes
pet — abbreviation
1. the abbreviation for positron-emission tomography, the medical name for a scan t
the abbreviation for positron-emission tomography, the medical name for a scan that shows how active parts of the body are
In cancer care, PET is often paired with CT scans.
use PET with CT
The training guide explains how PET helps doctors find active tumors.
Last spring, our hospital opened a new PET unit upstairs.
After the talk, Hana finally knew what PET stood for.
PET stands for ...
- PET imaging
- PET unit
- PET and CT
- PET stands for
Grammar Patterns
PET stands for ...
use PET with CT
Usage Note
Always written in capitals. In ordinary conversation about the test itself, people more often say 'PET scan'.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun sense 1, pet is the normal everyday word for an animal kept mainly for company or pleasure. Companion animal is more formal and often appears in veterinary, legal, or animal-care writing. House pet is also everyday English, but it stresses that the animal lives in the home. Domestic animal is broader: it can include farm animals and work animals, so it does not always mean a pet. A guide dog is a domestic animal, but people usually call it a service animal, not a pet, when its working role matters. Compare: 'We have a pet rabbit at home.' 'The apartment only allows house pets under ten kilos.'
Etymology
The everyday word pet probably grew out of an older English form related to petty. It first referred to a person who was specially loved, indulged, or favored. From that idea, English later developed the animal sense and the verb meaning to touch lovingly. The adjective sense 'favorite' comes from the same family. The modern technical forms PET, used for a kind of plastic and for a medical scan, are much newer abbreviations built from longer scientific names, so they are not historical extensions of the older everyday word.