pet

1 of 8

noun (1)

1
a
: a pampered and usually spoiled child
b
: a person who is treated with unusual kindness or consideration : darling
2
: a domesticated animal kept for pleasure rather than utility

pet

2 of 8

adjective

1
: kept or treated as a pet
2
: expressing fondness or endearment
a pet name
3
: favorite
a pet project

pet

3 of 8

verb (1)

petted; petting

transitive verb

1
a
: to treat as a pet
b
: to stroke in a gentle or loving manner
2
: to treat with unusual kindness and consideration : pamper

intransitive verb

: to engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing : neck
petter noun

pet

4 of 8

noun (2)

: a fit of peevishness, sulkiness, or anger
usually used in the phrase in a pet
resigned in a pet

pet

5 of 8

verb (2)

petted; petting

intransitive verb

: to take offense : sulk

pet

6 of 8

abbreviation (1)

petroleum

Pet

7 of 8

abbreviation (2)

Peter

PET

8 of 8

abbreviation (3)

positron-emission tomography

Examples of pet in a Sentence

Adjective The mayor's pet project has been the construction of a new high school. spent my free time on my pet project
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This is especially prevalent in pets that have been fostered or adopted within the county over the past two weeks, the agency added. The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024 Sheriff's deputies seized 18 dead frozen puppies Friday from a home in rural Oregon that investigators believe were used to feed the homeowner's pet snakes, authorities said. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024 Note: This pet might have been adopted before publication. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024 Most had at least one name for a favorite toy, including one pet that understood four distinct words for different toys in the experiment. Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Making sure pets are up-to-date on rabies vaccinations are also essential to preventing the spread, the center said. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024 Examples of environmental allergens include pollen (which is what’s behind seasonal allergies), mold, pets, cockroaches, mice, and dust mites. Alexis Berger, SELF, 22 Mar. 2024 What to Consider This is a self-service hotel, and pets are not allowed. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 This drop-off follows a boom period for the company during the pandemic as more people adopted pets as companions. Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Susie Heffernan dashed into a store to purchase some pet food, and left her cat, Dundee, in her truck. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Mars, which produces chocolate and pet food, has been measuring its emissions since 2009. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 People drive golf carts instead of cars, and several international restaurants and a pet shop have a home here. Kayla Michelle Smith, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024 The project is in a tumbledown section of Oildale, situated between an optical lens store and aquatic pet shop. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Resurrecting the extinct species has been a pet project of Harvard University geneticist George Church for more than a decade. Katie Hunt, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Donations will be given to RCHS to feed animals in its care, as well as to distribute to the community through its pet food bank to aid pet parents in need. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 Do not store pet food outside or leave it out overnight. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The hidden department is always teeming with discounts in every single category, including furniture, beauty, and pet supplies. Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024
Verb
In addition, the Easter Bunny will be attendance to visit with kiddies and distribute treats, and a petting farm will include baby chicks, baby goats and ducks. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 14 Mar. 2024 Extremely social and outgoing, petting time is his favorite part of the day, closely followed by time to eat, play and nap (not necessarily in that order). The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Both 17-year-old girls have seen videos of feline judges — often petting spines and examining facial structures — and wanted to experience it first-hand. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2024 Even if that looks like sitting on the kitchen floor petting a sleeping puppy together after finishing the dishes last night. Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 But there’s a kind of poetic magic to the constant appearance here of wandering kitties, some of them getting scarcely a glance from Lia and Achi and others being tenderly petted. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 As the event attendees sauntered around the event, eating the 17’s favorite foods, like Luke Hoyer’s chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A and Alexander Schachter’s nutella crepes, Ellen Enoch-Marx petted a pony, to pay tribute to Meadow Pollack’s love of horses. Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 Northcutt, shown in the video with a tattoo of a paw print on her wrist, petted the dog as a citizen helped free his snout. Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2024 Messi, who had been scanning the room for more people to pet him, suddenly locked on to that toy bone with laser focus. Kyle Buchanan Roger Kisby, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps back-formation from Middle English pety small — more at petty

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1508, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1629, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1581, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1629, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pet was in 1508

Dictionary Entries Near pet

Cite this Entry

“Pet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pet. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pet

1 of 4 noun
1
: someone given special treatment or consideration
teacher's pet
2
: a tame animal kept for pleasure rather than for use

pet

2 of 4 adjective
1
: kept or treated as a pet
a pet rabbit
2
: showing fondness
a pet name
3
: favorite entry 2
my pet project

pet

3 of 4 verb
petted; petting
1
2
: to treat as a pet : pamper
3
: to engage in embracing, caressing, and kissing

pet

4 of 4 noun
: a spell of sulkiness or anger

Medical Definition

PET

abbreviation
positron-emission tomography

More from Merriam-Webster on pet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!