affair
Americannoun
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anything done or to be done; anything requiring action or effort; business; concern.
an affair of great importance.
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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.
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an event or a performance; a particular action, operation, or proceeding.
When did this affair happen?
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thing; matter (applied to anything made or existing, usually with a descriptive or qualifying term).
Our new computer is an amazing affair.
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a private or personal concern; a special function, business, or duty.
That's none of your affair.
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an intense amorous relationship, usually of short duration.
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an event or happening that occasions or arouses notoriety, dispute, and often public scandal; incident.
the Congressional bribery affair.
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a party, social gathering, or other organized festive occasion.
The awards ceremony is the biggest affair on the school calendar.
noun
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a thing to be done or attended to; matter; business
this affair must be cleared up
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an event or happening
a strange affair
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(qualified by an adjective or descriptive phrase) something previously specified, esp a man-made object; thing
our house is a tumbledown affair
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a sexual relationship between two people who are not married to each other
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
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 Vanguard option is the modern-day incarnation of the storied Vanguard 500 fund, which kicked off investors’ love affair with index investing in the 1970s.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
His marriage to Mr. Lemann’s mother survived a “great crisis” spurred by her confinement to a psychiatric institute and an affair with one of the doctors there.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
The trial in 2022 heard the discovery exposed married MacDowell's affair with MacRae, and that she had believed they would be meeting up for a weekend away before a planned move to Shetland.
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s Homeland Security confirmation process was setting up to be a sleepy affair.
From Slate • Mar. 21, 2026
The masked ball was a happy affair, even though there was talk among the guests of possible war.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
