associate
UK /əˈsəʊʃi.ət/ · US /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/ adjective, noun, verb
Forms associates associating associated
- adjective Joined with another or others and having lower status. “The associate editor is someone who has some experience in editing but not sufficient experience to qualify for a senior post.”
- adjective Having partial status or privileges. “He is an associate member of the club.”
- adjective Following or accompanying; concomitant.
- adjective (biology, dated) Connected by habit or sympathy. “associate motions”
- noun A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner or employee. “Allow me to introduce my business associates, Alice and Bob, who are senior VPs for ops and strategy, respectively.”
- noun Somebody with whom one works, coworker, colleague.
- noun A companion; a comrade.
- noun One that habitually accompanies or is associated with another; an attendant circumstance.
- noun A member of an institution or society who is granted only partial status or privileges.
- noun (algebra) One of a pair of elements of an integral domain (or a ring) such that the two elements are divisible by each other (or, equivalently, such that each one can be expressed as the product of the other with a unit).
- noun (African-American Vernacular) A casual friend, acquaintance
- verb (intransitive) To join in or form a league, union, or association.
- verb (intransitive) To spend time socially; keep company. “She associates with her coworkers on weekends.”
- verb (transitive, with with) To join as a partner, ally, or friend. “He associated his name with many environmental causes.”
- verb (transitive) To connect or join together; combine. “particles of gold associated with other substances”
- verb (transitive) To connect evidentially, or in the mind or imagination.
- verb (reflexive, in deliberative bodies) To endorse. “She refused to associate herself with the petition.”
- verb (mathematics) To be associative.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To accompany; to be in the company of.
- noun (slang) An associate's degree.
Synonyms
adjunct business partner cohort colaborer /colabourer collaborator colleague compeer confrere consociate coworker /co-worker fellow jobmate workfellow workmate surround forgather attach join put together unite companion comrade familiar associate degree tie in relate link colligate link up connect
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English associat(e) (used participially as well as adjectively up to Early Modern English), from Latin associātus, the perfect passive participle of associō (“to join, unite”), from ad- + sociō, from socius (“shared, common, kindred”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix).
From the substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
From Middle English associat(e) (“associated, allied”) (the verb *associaten is not found in Middle English writings and only attested at a later period), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Doublet of associe.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To join with one, as a friend, companion, partner, or confederate; as, to associate others with .
- verb To join or connect; to combine in acting; as, particles of gold associated with other substances.
- verb To unite in company; to keep company, implying intimacy; as, congenial minds are disposed to associate.
- verb To unite in action, or to be affected by the action of a different part of the body. E. Darwin.
Etymology [L. associatus, p. p. of associare; ad + sociare to join or unite, socius companion. See Social.]
Etymology [L. associatus, p. p.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “associate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details