liaison
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A channel for communication between groups.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
leeayzahnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
liˈeɪzɑn
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A channel for communication between groups
“He provided a liaison with the guerrillas.”
Communication between two parties or groups.
Any person who relays information between two groups or organizations.
A relayer of information between two forces in an army or during war.
A usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship
figuratively
An illicit sexual relationship or affair.
verb
proscribed
To liaise.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A channel for communication between groups
Used this way, liaison is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He provided a liaison with the guerrillas.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “liaison with …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: liaison with …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use liaison
- “He provided a liaison with the guerrillas.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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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.