ASSOCIATE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

[_uh_-soh-shee-eyt, -see-, _uh_-soh-shee-it, -eyt, -see-] / əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪt, -si-, əˈsoʊ ʃi ɪt, -ˌeɪt, -si- /

verb (used with object)

associated, associating

1. to connect or bring into relation, as thought, feeling, memory, etc..

   Many people associate dark clouds with depression and gloom.
   Synonyms:
   relate, couple, connect
   Antonyms:
   distinguish

2. to join as a companion, partner, or ally.

   to associate oneself with a cause.

3. to unite; combine.

   coal associated with shale.

verb (used without object)

associated, associating

1. to enter into union; unite.
2. to keep company, as a friend, companion, or ally.

   He was accused of associating with known criminals.

3. to join together as partners or colleagues.

noun

1. a person who shares actively in anything as a business, enterprise, or undertaking; partner; colleague; fellow worker.

   He consulted with his associates before proceeding further.
   Antonyms:
   adversary

2. a companion or comrade.

   my most intimate associates.
   Antonyms:
   adversary

3. a confederate; an accomplice or ally.

   criminal associates.
   Antonyms:
   adversary

4. anything usually accompanying or associated with another; an accompaniment or concomitant.
5. a person who is admitted to a subordinate degree of membership in an association or institution.

   an associate of the Royal Academy.

adjective

1. connected, joined, or related, especially as a companion or colleague; having equal or nearly equal responsibility.

   an associate partner.

2. having subordinate status; without full rights and privileges.

   an associate member.

3. allied; concomitant.

verb

1. (tr) to link or connect in the mind or imagination

   to associate Christmas with fun

2. (intr) to keep company; mix socially

   to associate with writers

3. (intr) to form or join an association, group, etc
4. (tr; usually passive) to consider in conjunction; connect

   rainfall is associated with humidity

5. (tr) to bring (a person, esp oneself) into friendship, partnership, etc
6. (tr; often passive) to express agreement or allow oneself to be connected (with)

   Bertrand Russell was associated with the peace movement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. a person joined with another or others in an enterprise, business, etc; partner; colleague
2. a companion or friend
3. something that usually accompanies another thing; concomitant

   hope is an associate to happiness

4. a person having a subordinate position in or admitted to only partial membership of an institution, association, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

1. joined with another or others in an enterprise, business, etc; having equal or nearly equal status

   an associate director

2. having partial rights and privileges or subordinate status

   an associate member

3. accompanying; concomitant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does associate mean? An associate is a person who shares in business as a partner, stakeholder, or colleague. To associate is to connect or relate multiple things together. The noun form of associate, pronounced uh-soh-shee-it, often refers to a business partner but can also be used more generally to describe a friend or even an acquaintance. Associate is also used to describe more sinister partnerships, such as an accomplice in a crime or a member of a gang or crime organization. The verb form, pronounced uh-soh-shee-eyt, can be used to mean to connect or unite people. When you associate yourself with someone else, you may be working with them, you may be friends or romantic partners, or you may even be a customer. People who are associated will often be discussed in a pair or group. Associate can also mean to connect or relate, as with objects and feelings or memories. For example, you may associate naan with your grandmother who used to make this bread whenever you visited. Or you may associate a favorite book with the memory of a teacher who introduced you to the book. Example: I always associate gingerbread with the holidays, but it’s good all year round.

Related Words

See acquaintance.

Other Word Forms

• associable adjective
• associateship noun
• associator noun
• associatory adjective
• reassociate verb
• superassociate noun

Etymology

Origin of associate

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin associātus “joined to, united with” (past participle of associāre ), equivalent to as- as- + soci- ( see social) + -ātus -ate 1; compare Anglo-French associer (verb), associé (noun)

Explanation

As a verb, associate can mean to make a connection between things or concepts. You might associate the smell of lemons with summer memories of selling lemonade. Or, with polishing your furniture with Lemon Pledge. As a noun, in employment, an associate is someone who is in a junior position. You might hear about associates at law firms, hoping to make partner one day. However, some companies also use associate to mean any employee, regardless of rank or seniority. The noun associate can also mean a friend or someone you keep company with. And, as a verb, associate can also mean to keep company with — like when you were associating with activists at the protest march.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing associate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The more concentrated rainfall you get, the drier you become,” said Justin Mankin, an associate professor of geography at Dartmouth College who coauthored the study.

FromLos Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

"There are numerous facilities that generate environmental impacts in a vulnerable area," Caroline Stamm, an associate professor at the Institute of Urban and Territorial Studies at the Catholic University of Santiago, told AFP.

FromBarron's • May 13, 2026

It’s important to get a baseline reading of hearing health before you think there’s a problem, says Lindsay Creed, associate director of audiology practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

FromThe Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Kwanghun Chung, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT, is also an author.

FromScience Daily • May 6, 2026

This was the boon of having a summer associate to advise: It was an excuse to eat out and eat well, and to do it on the firm’s expense account.

From"Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.