# paired

/ˈpɛɹd/ (US) · /pˈeəd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/paired
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to put together

verb · CEFR B1

to put two people or things together to work as a team or to match.

For teachers: to arrange people or objects into groups of two, often for a collaborative task or to create a functional match.

- The teacher paired each new student with a more experienced classmate.
- The software automatically paired the wireless headphones with the nearest active device to ensure a seamless user experience.

Usage: Often used with the preposition 'with'.

### 2. occurring in twos

adjective · CEFR B2

describes things that appear or exist in a group of two.

For teachers: occurring or arranged in a set of two; often used in biological or technical contexts to describe symmetry.

- The birds performed a beautiful dance with their paired movements.
- The researcher noted that the paired organs functioned independently despite their identical structural appearance.

## Examples

- The teacher paired the students for the science project.
- The sommelier paired the spicy main course with a crisp white wine to balance the flavors.
- By ensuring each junior developer is paired with a senior mentor, the company accelerates the onboarding process and maintains high coding standards across the team.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.