Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An animal kept for amusement or companionship.
- n. An object of the affections.
- n. A person especially loved or indulged; a favorite: the teacher's pet.
- adj. Kept as a pet: a pet cat.
- adj. Particularly cherished or indulged: a pet grandchild.
- adj. Expressing or showing affection: a pet name.
- adj. Being a favorite: a pet topic.
- v. To stroke or caress gently; pat. See Synonyms at caress.
- v. Informal To make love by fondling and caressing.
- n. A fit of bad temper or pique.
- v. To be sulky and peevish.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Any domesticated or tamed animal, as a dog, a squirrel, or a dove, that is fondled and indulged; in particular, a lamb brought up by hand; a cadelamb; in general, a fondling.
- n. A darling or favorite child; one who is fondled and indulged or treated with peculiar kindness or favor; also, a spoiled child; a wilful young woman.
- Fondled and indulged: as, a pet lamb; a pet rabbit; a pet pigeon.
- Favored; favorite; cherished: as, a pet theory.
- To treat as a pet; fondle; indulge: as, to pet a child or a kitten.
- n. A fit, as of peevishness, ill humor, or discontent.
- To be peevish or cross; sulk.
- To make peevish; pique; offend; make cross.
Wiktionary
- n. An animal kept as a companion.
- n. One who is excessively loyal to their superior.
- n. A fit of petulance, a sulk, arising from the impression that one has been offended or slighted.
- n. abbreviation of petition.
- n. A term of endearment usually applied to women and children.
- v. To stroke or fondle (an animal).
- v. To stroke or fondle (another person) amorously.
- v. Of two or more people, to stroke and fondle one another amorously.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A cade lamb; a lamb brought up by hand.
- n. Any person especially cherished and indulged; a fondling; a darling; often, a favorite child.
- n. A slight fit of peevishness or fretfulness.
- n. Any animal kept as a companion, usually in or around one's home, typically domesticated and cared for attentively and often affectionately. Distinguished from animals raised for food or to perform useful tasks, as a
draft animal . - adj. Petted; indulged; admired; cherished.
- v. To treat as a pet; to fondle; to indulge.
- v. To be a pet.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement
- v. stroke or caress in an erotic manner, as during lovemaking
- n. a special loved one
- n. using a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues (especially in the brain)
- adj. preferred above all others and treated with partiality
- v. stroke or caress gently
- n. a fit of petulance or sulkiness (especially at what is felt to be a slight)
Etymologies
- Scottish Gaelic peata, tame animal, pet, from Old Irish.Origin unknown.
Examples
“Some have pet dogs, some have pet cats: then why not a _pet quiz? _ ”
“No shelf of nature books would be complete without a volume examining the bond between people and those animal species we have invited into our homes—that rich, reciprocal process of domestication for which the term "pet" seems trivializing.”
“My family, and a few friends, find the term pet sitter humorous, and a bit extragant.”
“Losing a pet is the worst feeling .... don't give up I'm sure she will be found!!”
“Raising them and keeping one as a pet is a very comparative experience to having a dog.”
“If your pet is a cat, substitute gatito for perrito.”
“I feel that having a pet is a much more selfish move, because a pet does not require the same amount of caring as a kid.”
“But it's not at all clear, bestiality issues aside, that going through a wedding ritual to a pet is any more wrong than holding a funeral rite for a cat.”
“BLITZER: What do you say to the president who spoke about what he called your pet spending projects -- money that has nothing to do with the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, but for fishermen, peanut storage, spinach farmers, the milk industry -- that you've attached all this -- this other funding into this legislation, which has nothing do with the emergency spending needed for the war?”
“BLITZER: What do you say to the president who spoke about what he called your pet spending projects, money that has nothing to do with the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, but for fishermen, peanut storage, spinach farmers, the milk industry, that you've attached all this other funding into this legislation which has nothing to do with the emergency spending needed for the war?”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pet’.
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3 Letter Words
A list of English words that are three letters long.
ace, act, ade, ado, add, ads, age, ago, ail, air, aim, all and 397 more...
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identifiers
species, sex, age bracket, occupation, hobby .. etc.
man, woman, human being, student, zombie, artist, octopus, race driver, scientist, algorithmist, mathematician, child and 59 more...

yarb Thus was Donna Helena snatched from me. She threw herself into the arms of Combados in a pet, not listening to the secret whispers of love within her breast, nor suspecting a story which ought to have seemed so improbable in the annals of true passion.
- Lesage, The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, tr. Smollett, bk 9 ch. 6 Oct 7, 2008