association
Americannoun
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associations
plural
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an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure.
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the act of associating or state of being associated.
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friendship; companionship.
Their close association did not last long.
- Synonyms:
- fellowship
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connection or combination.
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the connection or relation of ideas, feelings, sensations, etc.; correlation of elements of perception, reasoning, or the like.
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an idea, image, feeling, etc., suggested by or connected with something other than itself; an accompanying thought, emotion, or the like; an overtone or connotation.
My associations with that painting are of springlike days.
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Ecology. a group of plants of one or more species living together under uniform environmental conditions and having a uniform and distinctive aspect.
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Chemistry. a weak form of chemical bonding involving aggregation of molecules of the same compound.
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Astronomy. stellar association.
noun
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a group of people having a common purpose or interest; a society or club
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the act of associating or the state of being associated
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friendship or companionship
their association will not last
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a mental connection of ideas, feelings, or sensations
association of revolution with bloodshed
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psychol the mental process of linking ideas so that the recurrence of one idea automatically recalls the other See also free association
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chem the formation of groups of molecules and ions, esp in liquids, held together by weak chemical bonds
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ecology a group of similar plants that grow in a uniform environment and contain one or more dominant species
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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interassociationnoun
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nonassociationnoun
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reassociationnoun
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subassociationnoun
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associationaladjective
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nonassociationaladjective
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proassociationadjective
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pseudoassociationaladjective
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subassociationaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of association
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin associātiōn-, stem of associātiō “accompaniment, unification”; equivalent to associate + -ion
Explanation
Association has to do with things that are together, whether in a formal group like the National Basketball Association or just two things that are related, like the association between dogs and parks. Any time people or things are connected, there are associations. The National Basketball Association is an example of the business meaning of association — a formal organization or group that works together. If you ask, "What is your association with Bill?" That just means, "How are you connected to Bill?" You can also make mental associations — you might make an association between the smell of fresh bread and your grandmother's kitchen, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing association
Working Together: The Language of Unions
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Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
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Catching Fire
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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:
It's also known as the Harvest Moon because of its association with the time of year people traditionally gather crops.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
When a nonprofit consulting on redevelopment proposed relocating the entire district farther from the river, Jeffrey Burroughs, a jeweler who leads a local business-development association, was among those who pushed back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The authors add, “Phenome-wide association analysis identified 156 significant associations between sleep patterns and incident diseases after Bonferroni correction.”
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
It’s difficult to imagine that a single presented as playfully as this one will be taking a real hard look at its association with stigma and shame.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
“This boy and I are liable to have a long association whether we like it or not. I want him to know.”
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
However, they provide new clues about the biological pathways that could help explain associations reported in earlier coffee research.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
But individual farmers as well as more than a dozen associations that represent growers, agricultural retailers and firms that spray pesticides have voiced opposition to the changes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
“An Unexpected Life” consists of short essays in which Steinem riffs on ideas and associations from her earlier years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The stakes can be high with condo associations, where owners share responsibility for the building’s finances, insurance and major repairs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
“You don’t choose to make positive associations with the dominant group,” says Mahzarin Banaji, who teaches psychology at Harvard University and is one of the leaders in IAT research.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
