Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - pet

(pets, petting, petted) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A pet is an animal that you keep in your home to give you company and pleasure. It is plainly cruel to keep turtles as pets. ...a bachelor living alone in a flat with his pet dog... N-COUNT 2. Someone’s pet theory, project, or subject is one that they particularly support or like. He would not stand by and let his pet project be killed off... ADJ 3. If you pet a person or animal, you touch them in an affectionate way. The policeman reached down and petted the wolfhound... VERB: V n