associate

American  

[uh-soh-shee-ayt, -see-, uh-soh-shee-it, -ayt, -see-] / əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪt, -si-, əˈsoʊ ʃi ɪt, -ˌeɪt, -si- /

verb (used with object)

• associates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• associated,
  past participle,  past
• associating
  present participle

1. to connect or bring into relation, as thought, feeling, memory, etc..

   Many people associate dark clouds with depression and gloom.

   Synonyms:

   relate, couple, connect

   Antonyms:

   distinguish

2. to join as a companion, partner, or ally.

   to associate oneself with a cause.

3. to unite; combine.

   coal associated with shale.

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verb (used without object)

• associates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• associated,
  past participle,  past
• associating
  present participle

1. to enter into union; unite.

2. to keep company, as a friend, companion, or ally.

   He was accused of associating with known criminals.

3. to join together as partners or colleagues.

noun

• associates
  plural

1. 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

2. a companion or comrade.

   my most intimate associates.

   Antonyms:

   adversary

3. a confederate; an accomplice or ally.

   criminal associates.

   Antonyms:

   adversary

4. anything usually accompanying or associated with another; an accompaniment or concomitant.

5. a person who is admitted to a subordinate degree of membership in an association or institution.

   an associate of the Royal Academy.

adjective

1. connected, joined, or related, especially as a companion or colleague; having equal or nearly equal responsibility.

   an associate partner.

2. having subordinate status; without full rights and privileges.

   an associate member.

3. allied; concomitant.

associate British  

verb

1. (tr) to link or connect in the mind or imagination

   to associate Christmas with fun

2. (intr) to keep company; mix socially

   to associate with writers

3. (intr) to form or join an association, group, etc

4. (tr; usually passive) to consider in conjunction; connect

   rainfall is associated with humidity

5. (tr) to bring (a person, esp oneself) into friendship, partnership, etc

6. (tr; often passive) to express agreement or allow oneself to be connected (with)

   Bertrand Russell was associated with the peace movement

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noun

1. a person joined with another or others in an enterprise, business, etc; partner; colleague

2. a companion or friend

3. something that usually accompanies another thing; concomitant

   hope is an associate to happiness

4. a person having a subordinate position in or admitted to only partial membership of an institution, association, etc

adjective

1. joined with another or others in an enterprise, business, etc; having equal or nearly equal status

   an associate director

2. having partial rights and privileges or subordinate status

   an associate member

3. 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.

Synonym Usage

See acquaintance.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• associateship
  noun
• associator
  noun
• superassociate
  noun
• reassociate
  verb
• associable
  adjective
• associatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• associates
  plural

Participles

• associating
  present
• associated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• associate
  simple
• associates
  simple
• have associated
  perfect
• has associated
  perfect
• am associating
  progressive
• are associating
  progressive
• is associating
  progressive
• have been associating
  perfect progressive
• has been associating
  perfect progressive

Past

• associated
  simple
• had associated
  perfect
• was associating
  progressive
• were associating
  progressive
• had been associating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will associate
  simple
• will have associated
  perfect
• will be associating
  progressive
• will have been associating
  perfect progressive

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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)

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

associate associates associated associating

Additional contributors from the University of Iowa included Allison Jaynes, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, along with Jeremy Faden and Chris Piker, who provide research support in the same department.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

“Prior authorizations seems to be an effective tool to reduce the use of those healthcare services,” Hannah Neprash, lead author of the study and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Last year, Caltech retitled its chief diversity officer as an associate vice president for “campus climate, engagement and success.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

The contours of the "associate member" status are not fully clear.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

First, there was a rousing warm-up speech by King's associate and successor in Montgomery, the Reverend Ralph Abernathy.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Several of Betancourt’s known or alleged associates were charged or convicted in a major U.S. money-laundering investigation known as Operation Money Flight.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

Firms now regularly pay first-year associates salaries of $250,000, up from $190,000 in 2018, in the tussle for the best talent straight out of law school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

“Kroger should be held accountable for the harm it caused our shareholders, associates, and customers—and we look forward to proving our case in court,” Albertsons said in a statement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

After they split, the two companies worked closely together with Abramovich's associates to manage his global fortune.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Over the course of the summer, the firm organized a series of events and outings for its associates, sending around sign-up sheets for anyone who wanted to go.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"My ambition is to be this owl that's often associated with a little bit of wisdom," she said in 2019.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

Finding that they were all associated with changes in the same brain signal suggests that a shared underlying process may contribute to the disorder's diverse effects.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

However, charging takes much longer than filling a tank, creating costs associated with the truck’s downtime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

This has been a long dream of the administration and people associated with the administration, and it’s taken them basically a decade in order to act on it.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

Other kinds of music are also so likely to follow a particular overall plan that they have become associated with a particular form.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Meta, OpenAI and others are associating their AI agents and tools with cute characters to win over skeptics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

Hoffman apologized in 2019 for associating with Epstein.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026

How have you really held on to this DIY ethos while now associating yourself with a bigger label?

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

Nikolic previously said “Epstein was a master manipulator, and I deeply regret associating with him.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

When a letter from Reginald arrived, I never dreamed of associating the two letters, although I knew that Reginald had been spending a lot of time with Wilfred, Hilda, and Philbert in Detroit.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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Related Words

• accomplice
• ally
• assistant
• buddy
• co-worker
• cohort
• collaborator
• companion
• comrade
• crony
• fellow
• friend
• partner

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