What is the meaning of mates?

noun

• The officer below the master on a commercial ship.
  • synonyms: mate, first mate
• A fellow member of a team.
  • usage: "it was his first start against his former teammates"
  • synonyms: teammate, mate
• The partner of an animal (especially a sexual partner. )
  • usage: "he loved the mare and all her mates"; "camels hate leaving their mates"
  • synonyms: mate
• A person's partner in marriage.
  • synonyms: spouse, partner, married person, mate, better half
• An exact duplicate.
  • usage: "when a match is found an entry is made in the notebook"
  • synonyms: match, mate
• One of a pair.
  • usage: "he lost the mate to his shoe"; "one eye was blue but its fellow was brown"
  • synonyms: mate, fellow
• South American holly; leaves used in making a drink like tea.
  • synonyms: mate, Paraguay tea, Ilex paraguariensis
• Informal term for a friend of the same sex.
  • synonyms: mate
• South American tea-like drink made from leaves of a South American holly called mate.
  • synonyms: mate
• A chess move constituting an inescapable and indefensible attack on the opponent's king.
  • synonyms: checkmate, mate
• A pair of people who live together.
  • usage: "a married couple from Chicago"
  • synonyms: couple, match

verb

• Engage in sexual intercourse.
  • usage: "Birds mate in the Spring"
  • synonyms: copulate, mate, pair, couple
• Bring two objects, ideas, or people together.
  • usage: "This fact is coupled to the other one"; "Matchmaker, can you match my daughter with a nice young man"; "The student was paired with a partner for collaboration on the project"
  • synonyms: match, mate, couple, pair, twin
• Place an opponent's king under an attack from which it cannot escape and thus ending the game.
  • usage: "Kasparov checkmated his opponent after only a few moves"
  • synonyms: checkmate, mate