affair

American  

[uh-fair] / əˈfɛər /

noun

1. anything done or to be done; anything requiring action or effort; business; concern.

   an affair of great importance.

2. affairs, matters of commercial or public interest or concern; the transactions of public or private business or finance.

   affairs of state; Before taking such a long trip you should put all your affairs in order.

3. an event or a performance; a particular action, operation, or proceeding.

   When did this affair happen?

4. thing; matter (applied to anything made or existing, usually with a descriptive or qualifying term).

   Our new computer is an amazing affair.

5. a private or personal concern; a special function, business, or duty.

   That's none of your affair.

6. an intense amorous relationship, usually of short duration.

7. an event or happening that occasions or arouses notoriety, dispute, and often public scandal; incident.

   the Congressional bribery affair.

8. a party, social gathering, or other organized festive occasion.

   The awards ceremony is the biggest affair on the school calendar.

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affair British  

/ əˈfɛə /

noun

1. a thing to be done or attended to; matter; business

   this affair must be cleared up

2. an event or happening

   a strange affair

3. (qualified by an adjective or descriptive phrase) something previously specified, esp a man-made object; thing

   our house is a tumbledown affair

4. a sexual relationship between two people who are not married to each other

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Etymology

Origin of affair

1250–1300; earlier affaire < French, Old French afaire for a faire to do, equivalent to a (< Latin ad to) + faire ≪ Latin facere; replacing Middle English afere < Old French

Explanation

If your grandfather was so startled by people shouting "Surprise!" at his birthday party that he had a mild heart attack, you'd probably want to just forget the whole affair. An affair is a specific event. You can use affair as a kind of shorthand, to mean "that big mess," or "that complicated story I already told you about." Your affair can also mean your responsibility or job, like if your grandmother said, "I don't care about balloons for the party — that's your affair." Another way affair is frequently used is to mean a love affair, particularly if the relationship is brief and intense. This meaning comes from the French phrase affaire de coeur, "affair of the heart."

Example Sentences

Her love affair with The Beatles began, like so many others, on February 9, 1964, when she tuned into the group’s American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was prosecuted over the affair after his first term, which ended in 2011, before being acquitted in 2021 over a lack of evidence.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

The city controller’s race, normally a fairly sleepy affair, has turned into the second-highest-spending race in the city.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

But after Dembele equalised from the penalty spot, the contest became a must-not-lose affair for both sides, with neither keeper seriously tested as the tension rose in Hungary and the game drifted towards a shootout.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

And that would just make the whole affair messy.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• case
• employment
• event
• incident
• interest
• proceeding
• project
• question
• subject
• task
• thing
• topic
• transaction