Meaning & use
partner with
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To join forces with another person or organization to work toward a shared goal.
Grammar: No direct object; the other party follows with: the school partnered with a local firm.
Patterns
- partner with someone
- partner with someone to do something
The bakery decided to partner with a farm to source fresh eggs.
Our company has partnered with several universities on climate research.
Developers often partner with local groups when they plan new housing.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To work alongside someone as one half of a pair, especially in a sport, dance or game.
Grammar: Can take an object (partner someone) or be followed by with: she partnered with her sister.
Patterns
- partner with someone in something
- be partnered with someone
In the doubles final, Ana partnered with her cousin.
He was partnered with a more experienced dancer.
We partnered with another team for the quiz night.
Word forms
| third person singular | partners with |
|---|---|
| past tense | partnered with |
| past participle | partnered with |
| -ing form | partnering with |
Common combinations
- partner with a charity
- The shop will partner with a charity to collect coats.
- partner with local businesses
- We partner with local businesses to host events.
- partner with someone to deliver
- The council will partner with an engineering firm to deliver the project.
- proud to partner with
- We are proud to partner with the museum.
- strategically partner with
- Start-ups often strategically partner with larger firms.
Synonyms and how they differ
- team up with
- This is more casual and often implies a one-time collaboration rather than a formal long-term agreement.
- collaborate with
- This focuses on working together on tasks and sounds more academic, while partner with often suggests a formal arrangement.
- ally with
- This suggests joining for protection or political advantage, not just shared work.
- join forces with
- This is vivid and slightly dramatic, suitable for news writing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: partner with or pair with?
partner with vs pair with
To pair with can mean to match something, such as food with wine, while to partner with means to work together.
Practice
The hospital plans to _____ a local charity to provide free check-ups.
Choose one answer.
The verb pattern is partner with something or someone. The other prepositions do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “partner with”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.