associate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to connect or bring into relation, as thought, feeling, memory, etc..
Many people associate dark clouds with depression and gloom.
- Antonyms:
- distinguish
-
to join as a companion, partner, or ally.
to associate oneself with a cause.
-
to unite; combine.
coal associated with shale.
verb (used without object)
-
to enter into union; unite.
-
to keep company, as a friend, companion, or ally.
He was accused of associating with known criminals.
-
to join together as partners or colleagues.
noun
-
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
-
a companion or comrade.
my most intimate associates.
- Antonyms:
- adversary
-
a confederate; an accomplice or ally.
criminal associates.
- Antonyms:
- adversary
-
anything usually accompanying or associated with another; an accompaniment or concomitant.
-
a person who is admitted to a subordinate degree of membership in an association or institution.
an associate of the Royal Academy.
adjective
-
connected, joined, or related, especially as a companion or colleague; having equal or nearly equal responsibility.
an associate partner.
-
having subordinate status; without full rights and privileges.
an associate member.
verb
-
(tr) to link or connect in the mind or imagination
to associate Christmas with fun
-
(intr) to keep company; mix socially
to associate with writers
-
(intr) to form or join an association, group, etc
-
(tr; usually passive) to consider in conjunction; connect
rainfall is associated with humidity
-
(tr) to bring (a person, esp oneself) into friendship, partnership, etc
-
(tr; often passive) to express agreement or allow oneself to be connected (with)
Bertrand Russell was associated with the peace movement
noun
-
a person joined with another or others in an enterprise, business, etc; partner; colleague
-
a companion or friend
-
something that usually accompanies another thing; concomitant
hope is an associate to happiness
-
a person having a subordinate position in or admitted to only partial membership of an institution, association, etc
adjective
-
joined with another or others in an enterprise, business, etc; having equal or nearly equal status
an associate director
-
having partial rights and privileges or subordinate status
an associate member
-
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.
Related Words
See acquaintance.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing associate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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50 Words from Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice"
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Workshop 1, Part 1
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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.
And five states—including Delaware, just this month—have passed laws changing the title of physician assistant to physician associate.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
However, Smita Das, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine, said there is still no broad medical agreement that cannabis effectively treats these conditions.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2026
Denmark "for once actually is sending a good song", said Lisanne Wilken, a Eurovision specialist and associate professor at Aarhus University in Denmark.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
The new war museum will likely become a major destination for university and school visits in Pyongyang, according to Chris Monday, an associate professor at South Korea’s Dongseo University who studies Russia and North Korea.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Finally, a yegg—a safecracker—gave White and his team the name of another witness to the bombing plot: Asa Kirby, the gold-toothed outlaw who had been an associate of Grammer’s.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
