pet 1 / pet / noun
1 [ countable ] 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 shop
2 British English spoken used when speaking to someone you like or love :
Don’t cry, pet.
→ teacher’s pet
COLLOCATIONS
verbs
have a pet Do 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 + pet
a family pet These dogs make an ideal family pet.
a domestic/household pet Cats 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 + NOUN
a pet dog/cat/rabbit etc I used to have a pet rabbit when I was young.
pet food cans of pet food
a pet shop Your local pet shop will have a variety of different collars.
a pet owner During hot summer days, pet owners should keep their pet indoors.
