associate

adjective · noun · verb

Simple meaning

Joined with another or others and having lower status.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

uhsohseeuht

Say the bold part a little louder.

noun: uhsohsheeuhtverb: uhsohsheeayt

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

əˈsoʊsiət

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

Joined with another or others and having lower status.
Having partial status or privileges.
Following or accompanying; concomitant.

noun

A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner or employee.
One that habitually accompanies or is associated with another; an attendant circumstance.
Any event that usually accompanies or is closely connected with another
“First was the lightning and then its thunderous associate.”
A member of an institution or society who is granted only partial status or privileges.
Somebody with whom one works, coworker, colleague.
A companion; a comrade.

verb

intransitive
To join in or form a league, union, or association.
intransitive
To spend time socially; keep company.
transitivewith with
To join as a partner, ally, or friend.
transitive
To connect or join together; combine.
transitive
To connect evidentially, or in the mind or imagination.
reflexivein deliberative bodies
To endorse.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Joined with another or others and having lower status.

Used this way, associate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use associate

“He had to consult his associate before continuing.”noun
“Associates in the law firm bill at a lower rate than do partners.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Joined / joins

associate professorassociate member

Other combinations

associate justiceassociate degreeassociate editorassociate directorassociate dean

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

associativeadjectiveDerived adjective
Characterized by or causing or resulting from the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

associate professornounCompound term
A teacher lower in rank than a full professor but higher than an assistant professor.
associate degreenounCompound term
A degree granted by a two-year college on successful completion of the undergraduates course of studies.
associate in applied sciencenounCompound term
An associate degree in applied science.
associate in artsnounCompound term
An associate degree in arts.
associate in nursingnounCompound term
An associate degree in nursing.
free-associateverbCompound term
Associate freely.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.