associate

American  

[uh-soh-shee-ayt, -see-, uh-soh-shee-it, -ayt, -see-] / əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪt, -si-, əˈsoʊ ʃi ɪt, -ˌeɪt, -si- /

verb (used with object)

• associates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• associated,
  past participle,  past
• associating
  present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

• associates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• associated,
  past participle,  past
• associating
  present participle

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

• associates
  plural

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.

associate British  

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

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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

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

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.

Synonym Usage

See acquaintance.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• associates
  plural

Participles

• associating
  present
• associated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• associate
  simple
• associates
  simple
• have associated
  perfect
• has associated
  perfect
• am associating
  progressive
• are associating
  progressive
• is associating
  progressive
• have been associating
  perfect progressive
• has been associating
  perfect progressive

Past

• associated
  simple
• had associated
  perfect
• was associating
  progressive
• were associating
  progressive
• had been associating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will associate
  simple
• will have associated
  perfect
• will be associating
  progressive
• will have been associating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

associate associates associated associating

When people think about Rod Serling and his influence on TV, they basically associate him with genre television like “Lost.”

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026

She was previously an associate graphic designer at Business Insider, where she received an American Illustration award in 2022 for her collage work on an investigative feature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

"Once the public has stopped trusting you, it's kind of a downward spiral," says associate professor Alison Taylor of New York University's Stern School of Business.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Donkeys are very strong animals; they bite, they kick,” said associate professor Marko Spasojevic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

“No, she can’t bear fashionable young men, and she’d shut us all up in bandboxes rather than have us associate with them.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

His next holiday will be a cruise leaving from Southampton, allowing him to avoid the stress he associates with flying.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The lawsuit alleges Drahi and associates shifted valuable fiber and cable assets to a new entity while the company was under a $21 billion debt load.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The court has also been thrown into disarray as investigations have scrutinized links between several justices, their relatives or associates, and jailed, fraud-accused banker Daniel Vorcaro.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The 43-year-old tech scion — a film aficionado who has spent two decades building his career in Hollywood — has told associates he doesn’t want to leave L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

I was taken away from all “spiritual” influences and for a long time did not see any of my old associates.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Two of the strongest El Niños in the last 75 years were associated with extensive damage to the Southern California coast, battering homes, flooding streets and damaging piers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

Their first-of-its-kind observational study, published in Nature Communications, found that loneliness and social isolation were associated with the loss of nearly six years of life free from mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

While other AI models were implicated in certain other instances, most known cases were associated with OpenAI’s chatbot, and in particular the GPT-4o model, which was in service from May 2024 until early this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

In her mid-20s, Courtney-Grace was diagnosed with a genetic mutation, which can be inherited and is associated with an increased risk of tumours.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Molly forced the window open wider, her hands not yet claws, but still a ghastly gray that she associated with her monstrous form.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Beijing said it consistently abides by international rules and opposes “attempts to smear China by associating it with the conflict.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

“The problem with associating a person with a technology is that that technology suddenly becomes a solution for everything,” he said, because their bonus depends on it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Ross’ popularity at the time of his death, along with his prolific output, translated into an afterlife associating him with kindness and encouragement.

From Salon ● May 2, 2026

A big part of that stigma, Ambrose believes, is the unfortunate proliferation of associating breast cancer with the color pink.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

Others he cultivated for their genuine capabilities on the screen, and for the sense of aggrandizement that he derived from associating with them.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• accomplice
• ally
• assistant
• buddy
• co-worker
• cohort
• collaborator
• companion
• comrade
• crony
• fellow
• friend
• partner