• IPA: /pɛt/, [pʰɛt], [pʰɛʔt]

pet (plural pets)

1. An animal kept as a companion.
2. (by extension) Something kept as a companion, including inanimate objects. (pet rock, pet plant, etc.)
   • 2015 September 15, Toby Fox, Undertale (video game), Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X:

     Papyrus: This is my brother's pet rock. He always forgets to feed it. As usual, I have to take responsibility.

3. One who is excessively loyal to a superior.
4. Any person or animal especially cherished and indulged; a darling.

   • the love of cronies, pets, and favourites

• companion animal

• French: animal familier, animal de compagnie
• German: Haustier, Heimtier, Stubentier, Lieblingstier
• Italian: animale domestico
• Portuguese: animal de estimação
• Russian: дома́шнее живо́тное
• Spanish: mascota

• French: chouchou
• German: Liebling, Pet,
• Russian: люби́мец

pet (pets, present participle petting; past and past participle petted)

1. (transitive) To stroke or fondle (an animal).
2. (transitive, informal) To stroke or fondle (another person) amorously.
3. (intransitive, informal) Of two or more people, to stroke and fondle one another amorously.
4. (dated, transitive) To treat as a pet; to fondle; to indulge.

   His daughter was petted and spoiled.

5. (archaic, intransitive) To be a pet.
6. (archaic, intransitive) To be peevish; to sulk.

• (to stroke or fondle an animal) pat, smooth
• (to stroke or fondle amorously) feel up, grope, touch up; see also Thesaurus:fondle
• (to treat as a pet) coddle, cosset; see also Thesaurus:pamper
• (to be peevish) mope, pout

• French: caresser
• German: streicheln
• Italian: accarezzare
• Portuguese: acariciar
• Russian: ласка́ть
• Spanish: acariciar

• French: peloter
• German: streicheln
• Portuguese: acariciar, fazer carinho
• Russian: ласка́ть
• Spanish: acariciar

• French: se peloter
• Russian: ласка́ться

pet (not comparable)

1. Favourite; cherished.

   a pet child

   The professor seemed offended by the criticism of her pet theory.

   • Some young lady's pet curate.

2. Kept or treated as a pet.

   pet rock

• Portuguese: de estimação

pet (plural pets)

1. A fit of petulance, a sulk, arising from the impression that one has been offended or slighted.
   • 1891, Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country, Nebraska 2005, p. 105:

     There was something ludicrous, even more, unbecoming a gentleman, in leaving a friend's house in a pet, with the host's reproaches sounding in his ears, to be matched only by the bitterness of the guest's sneering retorts.

pet (plural pets)

1. Abbreviation of petition#English|petition.

pet (plural pets)

1. (Geordie) A term of endearment usually applied to women and children.

pet

1. (uncountable, organic compound) Initialism of polyethylene terephthalate
2. (countable) Acronym of positron emission tomography
3. (countable, genetics) Acronym of paired-end tag