Word
associate
Phoneticsas·so·ciate
/əˈsoʊsiˌeɪt/
Definitions
01to connect ideas
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make a connection between two things in your mind.
v. to connect ideas, people, or things in the mind or imagination. Transitive — requires a direct object, often followed by 'with'.
日本語:連想する※
“Most people associate the smell of sunscreen with summer holidays at the beach.”
“Psychologists often observe that patients associate specific auditory triggers with childhood memories, even when the connection seems logically tenuous.”
02to spend time with
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to spend time with a person or a group of people.
v. to keep company or spend time socially with others. Intransitive — almost always used with the preposition 'with'.
日本語:交際する※
“He chose not to associate with his old friends after he started his new job.”
“The company policy explicitly forbids senior management to associate with competitors' representatives in an informal social capacity.”
03a business partner
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. someone you work with or do business with.
n. a person united with another in a business enterprise, or a colleague of lower rank in a professional firm.
日本語:同僚※
Español:asociado
“She is a close business associate who has helped me with many projects.”
“The senior partner introduced his junior associate, who would be handling the day-to-day administrative aspects of the merger.”
04lower rank
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. having a lower level or rank in a job or organization.
adj. denoting a person or role that has lower status or only partial privileges within an institution.
“He was promoted to associate professor after five years of teaching.”
“The associate membership allows access to the library and common rooms but does not grant voting rights during the annual general meeting.”
Synonyms
05associate's degree
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun American English
n. a degree given by a college after a two-year course of study.
n. an academic degree awarded by community colleges and some universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years.
“After finishing high school, he earned an associate degree in computer science.”
“Many students opt to complete an associate degree at a local college before transferring to a university to pursue a full bachelor's degree.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “associate” in context.
Verb
01. associate with
“I don't want you to associate with people who have a bad influence on you.”
verb + prep
Adverb
02. clearly associate
“Most people clearly associate the brand with high quality and luxury.”
adv + verb
03. closely associate
“The two researchers are closely associated with the discovery of the new vaccine.”
adv + verb
04. commonly associate
“We commonly associate the color red with danger or passion.”
adv + verb
05. consistently associate
“Studies consistently associate a healthy diet with a longer lifespan.”
adv + verb
06. directly associate
“It is difficult to directly associate the change in weather with global warming.”
adv + verb
07. frequently associate
“Patients frequently associate this medication with mild side effects.”
adv + verb
08. generally associate
“People generally associate the winter season with cold weather and snow.”
adv + verb
09. intimately associate
“The author was intimately associated with the political movements of his time.”
adv + verb
10. negatively associate
“Consumers often negatively associate the brand with poor customer service.”
adv + verb
11. normally associate
“I wouldn't normally associate these two styles of music together.”
adv + verb
12. particularly associate
“I particularly associate this smell with my grandmother's kitchen.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“One aspect of the South Florida facility has drawn far less attention, though: the name itself, and the long history of associating alligators with racist ideas about people of color.” “Fergus Jimenez-England, associate economist National Institute of Economic and Social Research said the UK economy had "weathered the recent energy shock better than many feared".” “Cesare Fracassi, associate professor of finance, shows that by defining a company's risk level, agencies can sway some of its business decisions.” “Wei Liu, an associate professor of climate change and the paper's senior author, said reducing these emissions could limit their effects on the AMOC and lessen the current's influence on future rainfall patterns.” 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/associate
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0