associate
associated; associates; associating
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.
Definitions of associate
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bring or come into association or action
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synonyms:
consociate
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make a logical or causal connection
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Antonyms:
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decouple, dissociate
regard as unconnected
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types:
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remember
exercise, or have the power of, memory
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interrelate
place into a mutual relationship
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correlate
bring into a mutual, complementary, or reciprocal relation
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identify
conceive of as united or associated
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free-associate
associate freely
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have in mind, mean, think of
intend to refer to
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advert, bring up, cite, mention, name, refer
make reference to
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decouple, dissociate
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keep company with; hang out with“He associates with strange people”
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types:
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ally
become an ally or associate, as by a treaty or marriage
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date, go out, go steady, see
date regularly; have a steady relationship with
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accompany, companion, company, keep company
be a companion to somebody
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misally
make a bad alliance; ally inappropriately
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type of:
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interact
act together or towards others or with others
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a person who joins with others in some activity or endeavor“he had to consult his associate before continuing”
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types:
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adjunct
a person who is an assistant or subordinate to another
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affiliate
a subordinate or subsidiary associate; a person who is affiliated with another or with an organization
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ally, friend
an associate who provides cooperation or assistance
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bedfellow
a temporary associate
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collaborator, cooperator, pardner, partner
an associate in an activity or endeavor or sphere of common interest
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colleague, confrere, fellow
a person who is member of one's class or profession
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co-worker, colleague, fellow worker, workfellow
an associate that one works with
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fellow member, member
one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)
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participant
someone who takes part in an activity
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shipmate
an associate on the same ship with you
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mate, teammate
a fellow member of a team
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stakeholder
a person who has an interest or share in something, especially a business
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comrade
someone with whom one has endured a dangerous situation, especially a fellow soldier
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attendant, attendee, attender, meeter
a person who is present and participates in a meeting
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discussant
a participant in a formal discussion
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Areopagite
a member of the council of the Areopagus
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blood brother
a male sworn (usually by a ceremony involving the mingling of blood) to treat another as his brother
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bride
a woman participant in her own marriage ceremony
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bridge partner
one of a pair of bridge players who are on the same side of the game
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brother
a male person who is a fellow member (of a fraternity or religion or other group)
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cabalist
a member of a cabal
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charter member
one of the original members when an organization was founded
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commissioner
a member of a commission
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committee member
a member of a committee
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council member, councillor
a member of a council
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Conservative
a member of a Conservative Party
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dancing partner
one of a pair of people who dance together
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fellow
a member of a learned society
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bridegroom, groom
a man participant in his own marriage ceremony
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homeboy
a fellow male member of a youth gang
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homegirl
a fellow female member of a youth gang
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huddler
a member of a huddle
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inductee
a person inducted into an organization or social group
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joiner
a person who likes to join groups
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kibbutznik
a member of a kibbutz
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kolkhoznik
a member of a kolkhoz
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masker, masquer, masquerader
a participant in a masquerade
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board member
a member of a governing board
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clan member, clansman, clanswoman
a member of a clan
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club member
someone who is a member of a club
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partaker, sharer
someone who has or gives or receives a part or a share
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player
an important participant (as in a business deal)
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pledge
someone accepted for membership but not yet fully admitted to the group
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retreatant
a participant in a religious retreat
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Rosicrucian
a member of a secret 17th-century society of philosophers and scholars versed in mystical and metaphysical and alchemical lore
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Rosicrucian
a member of any of various organizations that subsequently derived from the 17th-century society
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Rotarian
a member of a Rotary Club
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sister
a female person who is a fellow member of a sorority or labor union or other group
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sodalist
a member of a sodality
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tribesman
someone who lives in a tribe
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a friend who is frequently in the company of another
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types:
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date, escort
a participant in a date
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playfellow, playmate
a companion at play
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tovarich, tovarisch
a comrade (especially in Russian communism)
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blind date
a participant in a blind date (someone you meet for the first time when you have a date with them)
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type of:
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friend
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
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any event that usually accompanies or is closely connected with another“first was the lightning and then its thunderous associate”
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type of:
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accompaniment, attendant, co-occurrence, concomitant
an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another
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accompaniment, attendant, co-occurrence, concomitant
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a person with subordinate membership in a society, institution, or commercial enterprise“associates in the law firm bill at a lower rate than do partners”
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type of:
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foot soldier, subordinate, subsidiary, underling
an assistant subject to the authority or control of another
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foot soldier, subordinate, subsidiary, underling
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having partial rights and privileges or subordinate status“an associate member”“an associate professor”
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Synonyms:
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low-level, subordinate
lower in rank or importance
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low-level, subordinate
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a degree granted by a two-year college on successful completion of the undergraduates course of studies
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synonyms:
associate degree
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types:
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AA, Associate in Arts
an associate degree in arts
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AAS, Associate in Applied Science
an associate degree in applied science
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AN, Associate in Nursing
an associate degree in nursing
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type of:
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academic degree, degree
an award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of study
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AA, Associate in Arts
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘associate'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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