From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmatingmat‧ing /ˈmeɪtɪŋ/ noun [uncountable] HBASYsex between animals the mating season
Examples from the Corpus
mating• mating rituals• Let's hope he doesn't get eaten after mating.• Assortative mating was either positive or negative.• Three or four days before mating, the male develops a pouch on his belly.• Soon they begin to multiply, but not by mating and laying eggs.• The evolution of mating and rearing systems with attendant complexities of nepotistic behaviour occurs within and is part of this process.• In this case, the mating of these unique bodies and the Bartolini systems makes for a distinctive family sound.• It was just the mating of two bodies, essential for procreation, but certainly not meant to be enjoyed.• The child of a black white mating, safe from both cystic fibrosis and sickle-cell disease, is hybrid vigour personified. 