From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpetpet1 /pet/ ●●● S2 noun 1 [countable]DHP an animal such as a cat or a dog which you keep and care for at home They have two pets - a cat and a dog. We weren't allowed to keep pets at school. Rabbits make good pets.pet rabbit/bird etc He got bitten by his pet rabbit. pet food a pet shop2 British English spokenTALK TO somebody used when speaking to someone you like or love Don’t cry, pet. → teacher's petCOLLOCATIONSverbshave a petDo you have any pets?keep a pet (=have one in your home)Tenants aren’t allowed to keep pets.Many species of parrot can be kept as pets.make good/ideal etc pets (=be good/very good as pets)Do rabbits make good pets?ADJECTIVES/NOUN + peta family petThese dogs make an ideal family pet.a domestic/household petCats and other domestic pets give their owners a lot of pleasure. an exotic pet (=from a foreign country and not seen or found very often)Often the owners do not know how to care for these exotic pets.pet + NOUNa pet dog/cat/rabbit etcI used to have a pet rabbit when I was young.pet foodcans of pet fooda pet shopYour local pet shop will have a variety of different collars. a pet ownerDuring hot summer days, pet owners should keep their pet indoors.
Examples from the Corpus
pet• Late evening is also the best time to feed a pet.• One morning, Tony tells his Dad he wants a pet.• Do you have any pets?• Experts will cover topics such as disaster planning for pets and pet first aid, as well as horse nutrition and care.• Amelia had a wonderful time piloting her pet.• No smoking upstairs, no pets, no visitors, and there was a cleaning rota.• The 76 year old pensioner was beaten to death last Thursday in the pet shop where he worked part time.• Cat owners often notice that their pet will suddenly and for no apparent reason make a headlong dash through the house.• A third would think twice about moving home if it would upset their pets.petpet2 verb (petted, petting) [transitive] TOUCHto touch and move your hand gently over someone, especially an animal or a child → stroke Our cat loves being petted.► see thesaurus at touch → petting→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
pet• The student had formed a relationship with the rabbits she could reach and accompanied their feeding with petting and talking to them.• He did not pet it, or stroke it: he stood staring.• The temptation was to pet it.• Gentle petting made him sit down and close his eyes.• He allows Lennie to pet mice and was going to let him keep one of Slim's new pups.• Do you want to pet the kitty?petpet3 adjective 1 → pet project/theory/subject2 → pet hate → pet nameExamples from the Corpus
pet• But they did begin researching various pet service business ideas.• Pfizer is developing many of its human medicines, such as the antibiotic Zithromax and an arthritis drug, for pet use.Origin pet1 (1500-1600) Perhaps from petty “small” 