liaise
Americanverb (used without object)
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liaises,
present (3rd person singular)
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liaised,
past participle, past
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liaising
present participle
verb
Usage
What does liaise mean? To liaise means “to form a liaison,” that is, “to communicate and maintain contact with another person or organization.” In other words, liaising is like acting as the contact person between two groups, such as between parents and teachers. Contrary to popular complaints, liaise is a perfectly real and fine word. It’s been around since at least the 1920s. Example: Jen is highly regarded for her ability to liaise with her company’s clients.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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liaisesimple
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liaisessimple
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have liaisedperfect
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has liaisedperfect
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am liaisingprogressive
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are liaisingprogressive
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is liaisingprogressive
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have been liaisingperfect progressive
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has been liaisingperfect progressive
Past
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liaisedsimple
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had liaisedperfect
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was liaisingprogressive
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were liaisingprogressive
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had been liaisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of liaise
First recorded in 1925–30; back formation from liaison
Explanation
When you liaise with someone, you meet up or connect with them, usually so you can work together on something cooperatively. Two rival soccer teams might liaise to discuss the muddy conditions of the town's soccer fields. The verb liaise comes from the noun liaison, which was adapted from its original French meaning ("a binding together") during World War I to mean "military cooperation or alliance" between different countries. The Latin root of both words is ligatio, "a binding." When two groups liaise, they bind together or connect in order to gain a result that they both want. The very trickiest thing about the word liaise is remembering that it's spelled not with one i but with two.
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:
The Metropolitan Police said the force is continuing to liaise with US authorities about the case.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
After last year’s surge, executives urged local government officials to liaise with their Chinese counterparts across the border to help install early-warning instruments upstream that could save lives, but achieved no breakthrough, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said inquiries remain ongoing and officers continue to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service and are keeping the family updated.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Under Mexican law, foreign agents may exchange information and liaise with their local counterparts with the supervision of the central government but can’t carry out functions reserved to Mexican law-enforcement authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
The Office of Misinformation will in such a case liaise directly with the Muggle prime minister to seek a plausible non-magical explanation for the event.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
The organisation liaises with businesses and construction companies to collect, sort and recycle their wood waste, "giving materials a new lease of life wherever possible".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Rodriguez appointed Captain Juan Escalona as minister of the presidential office, which manages the leader's agenda and liaises with state agencies.
From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026
“There’s always players coming from Japan and so he always liaises on stuff like that ... and we count on him for a lot of things,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2024
The IOC panel that liaises with potential Summer Games bidders, which Grabar-Kitarović chairs, “must take any infringement of the Olympic Charter into consideration at all stages of the dialogue,” she said.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 15, 2023
More than 160 major companies from several countries are members of the International Cable Protection Committee, which helps monitor legislation regarding cable preservation and liaises with relevant United Nations committees.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2020
It bought stock in advance of buying a 4.5% shareholding from the state, and liaised with Commerzbank’s then-CEO, Manfred Knof, about its interest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Some of these militant techniques have been used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, whose Quds, or Jerusalem, force serves as an expeditionary unit that long has liaised with proxy militia groups across the Middle East.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2023
I liaised with the costume department on aspects of the wardrobe based on what my parents, aunts and uncles wore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
Uchida, a career central banker who masterminded many of the BOJ's unconventional policies, liaised with the government and kept in close contact with Japan's top currency diplomat Masato Kanda.
From Reuters ● Aug. 3, 2023
The surgical team liaised with surgeons in France who performed the first hand transplant in 1998.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2022
Following the incident, a spokeswoman for DofE said the organisation was "liaising closely with the young person's college and relevant authorities to understand how this tragic incident happened".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Care Quality Commission said it was aware of the incident and was "liaising with the organisations involved" in a bid to find out whether there was any regulatory action it needed to take.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Petno’s work on the national-security initiative includes giving updates to the bank’s board of directors and liaising with government officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The role will include being consulted on the final XI for a Test or white-ball internationals, selection of senior and Lions squads, liaising with counties and leading the team of scouts.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
Anyone who implies that Lord Darlington was liaising covertly with a known enemy is just conveniently forgetting the true climate of those times.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
