partner
gb/pˈɑɹtnɚ/ us/pˈɑɹtnɚ/
A2
English
~ 1200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
Romantic companion
Someone you are in a romantic relationship with.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s partner
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'partner' with 'friend' when describing a romantic relationship, leading to misunderstandings.
Synonyms
spouse (Specifically refers to a legally married partner.)
|
companion (Less formal; can refer to any close associate, but often romantic in this context.)
Antonyms
ex-partner (Refers to a former romantic partner.)
Collocations
life partner
|romantic partner
|long-term partner
|same-sex partner
Themes
relationships
|daily life
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She introduced her partner to her family.
- His partner works in the same office.
- They have been partners for over ten years.
- My partner and I are planning a trip together.
Learner examples
- This is my partner, Anna.
- I live with my partner.
- Her partner is very kind.
- He loves his partner very much.
Noun
B1
entity
2
Business associate or co-owner
Someone who owns or runs a business with another person.
Usage pattern:
business partners in [something]
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'partner' with 'employee' when describing business relationships.
Synonyms
associate (General term for someone you work with; not necessarily an owner.)
|
co-owner (Specifically someone who jointly owns something.)
Antonyms
competitor (A person or business competing against you rather than working with you.)
Collocations
business partner
|senior partner
|managing partner
|partner firm
Themes
business
|work
|finance
Examples
- She is a senior partner at the law firm.
- The two friends became business partners after college.
- He met with his partner to discuss the new project.
- Our partners in the venture are based overseas.
Learner examples
- We are business partners.
- My partner and I started a shop.
- She is my partner at work.
- They are partners in a company.
Noun
A2
entity
3
Activity or game teammate
Someone you do something with, like dance or play a game.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s partner in [activity]
Synonyms
teammate (Usually refers to members of a larger team rather than just two people.)
|
colleague (Refers to someone you work with, not necessarily in games or activities.)
Antonyms
opponent (Someone you compete against rather than work with.)
Collocations
dance partner
|tennis partner
|study partner
Themes
sports
|entertainment
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- My dance partner and I practiced for hours.
- He found a new tennis partner at the club.
- She asked me to be her partner for the quiz competition.
Learner examples
- I need a dance partner.
- He is my tennis partner.
- She is my study partner.
- We are partners in the game.
Verb
B1
action
4
Join with another for purpose
To work together with someone for the same goal.
Usage pattern:
to partner with [someone/something] to [do something]
Synonyms
collaborate (Often used in professional or creative contexts; can involve more than two parties.)
|
team up (Informal expression for joining efforts for a goal.)
Antonyms
compete (To act against rather than cooperate with another person or group.)
Collocations
partner with
|partner on project
|partner up
Themes
business
|daily life
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The charity partnered with local schools to provide free meals.
- We are partnering on a new app project.
- Several companies partnered to sponsor the event.
Learner examples
- I will partner with him on the job.
- We partnered to make the film.
- The school partnered with the library.
- They will partner to help people.
Grammar
Dictionary form
partner
IPA
GB/pˈɑɹtnɚ/
US/pˈɑɹtnɚ/
Syllables & stress
part - ner (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (part)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: partner
- Plural: partners
Verb
- Base: partner
- 3rd Person Singular: partners
- Present Participle: partnering
- Past: partnered
Word family
Forms
partners
noun
partnering
verb
partnered
verb
Core family
partnership
noun B1
Related words
ex-partner
noun
Expressions
partner up
1/pˈɑɹtnɚ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
informal
Form a pair or team together
To join with another person for an activity or job.
Examples
- Let’s partner up for the project.
- In class, we had to partner up for the experiment.
silent partner
1/sˈaɪlənt pˈɑɹtnɚ/
fixed phrase
Investor without active role or visibility
A person who gives money to a business but does not manage it and is not well known to others.
Examples
- She was a silent partner in the restaurant business.
- He prefers to be a silent partner so his name isn’t public.
sleeping partner
1/slˈipɪŋ pˈɑɹtnɚ/
fixed phrase
Non-managing business investor
A person who owns part of a business but does not help run it.
Examples
- He’s only a sleeping partner and leaves all decisions to the managers.
- The sleeping partners invest money but don’t work in the company.