affair
Americannoun
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affairs
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing affair
The Poet X
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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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.
See Examples For:
But his enduring love affair with Peru, particularly its arid north, persisted.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
In Nick Groom’s collection, blood-soaked tales from John William Polidori, Sheridan Le Fanu, Edgar Allan Poe and many others display the 19th century’s long love affair with the charismatic undead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
He received the award in the modest surroundings of Blackpool Town Hall, a low-key affair but one that cemented his legacy.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The accompanying press release was considerably more cheerful about the whole affair.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
“Feeling here about the affair is intense,” the New York Times reported.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
AFP contacted the local government BP Batam, and Indonesia's ministry for economic affairs, which regulates Nongsa Digital Park, for comment.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
The answers to these two final questions will determine much in world affairs in the next couple of years.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
OpenAI hired Jill Hazelbaker, Uber’s president and chief corporate affairs officer, to the newly created role of chief corporate affairs officer, responsible for the ChatGPT maker’s communications, reputation and positioning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
MANAMA, Bahrain — Conferences in the Persian Gulf are usually positive affairs, with government officials, executives of state-owned companies and armies of consultants touting petro-fueled visions promising fantastical technology and prosperity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
She wrapped up the family’s affairs, readied the children, and boarded the Illinois Central, resigned to whatever Chicago might bring.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
