A pair is a set of two things that belong together or match in some way. Your shoes form a pair because they're designed to be worn together, one on each foot. A pair of scissors has two blades that work as a unit. When you and your best friend team up for a science project, you're working in pairs.

The word can describe matching items like a pair of socks or a pair of gloves, but it also works for things that simply go together: a pair of ideas, a pair of questions, or a pair of birds flying side by side. In card games, drawing two cards of the same number gives you a pair.

Notice that we say “a pair of shoes,” not “a pair shoes.”

Sometimes pair becomes a verb: when you pair up with a classmate, you form a partnership. A teacher might pair students for an activity. Things that pair well complement each other nicely, like peanut butter and jelly or reading and a comfortable chair.