# associate

/əˈsoʊsiˌeɪt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/associate
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to connect ideas

verb · CEFR B2

to make a connection between two things in your mind.

For teachers: to connect ideas, people, or things in the mind or imagination. Transitive — requires a direct object, often followed by 'with'.

- 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.

### 2. to spend time with

verb · CEFR B2

to spend time with a person or a group of people.

For teachers: to keep company or spend time socially with others. Intransitive — almost always used with the preposition 'with'.

- 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.

### 3. a business partner

noun · CEFR B2

someone you work with or do business with.

For teachers: a person united with another in a business enterprise, or a colleague of lower rank in a professional firm.

- 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.

### 4. lower rank

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

having a lower level or rank in a job or organization.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. associate's degree

noun · CEFR B2 · American English

a degree given by a college after a two-year course of study.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- She is a close business associate of mine.
- After three years at the law firm, he was promoted from a junior clerk to a senior associate.
- The investigation focused on the suspect's former business associates, seeking to determine if any of them had knowledge of the unauthorized financial transfers.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.