free-associate
Americanverb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of free-associate
First recorded in 1940–45
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.
To that end, the company is researching why models confidently free-associate, and uses techniques during training to try to get them to more often admit the gaps in their knowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Sometimes, he would free-associate about philosophy and literature; at other times, though, he would embroider his childhood experiences during the Depression into works of audio fiction.
From Washington Post • Dec. 13, 2022
When Midge enters show biz, her shtick, just like Rivers’s was, is to dress for a date, in a black dress and pearls, then free-associate truths about women’s lives.
From The New Yorker • Dec. 11, 2018
“It’s not for me! I free-associate and come up with all kinds of extra material that doesn’t belong — but does.”
From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2017
Hear a giggling Dylan free-associate the words "See you later, Allen Ginsberg" to the tune of "See You Later, Alligator."
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2014
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.
