affair

noun

af·​fair ə-ˈfer 

1

a

affairs plural : commercial, professional, public, or personal business

handles the company's public affairs

an expert in foreign affairs

b

: matter, concern

How I choose to live is my affair, not yours.

2

: a procedure, action, or occasion only vaguely specified

also : an object or collection of objects only vaguely specified

Their house was a 2-story affair.

3

or less commonly affaire

a

: a romantic or passionate attachment typically of limited duration : liaison sense 2b

had an affair with a coworker

b

: a matter occasioning public anxiety, controversy, or scandal : case

the Watergate affair of the early 1970s

Synonyms of affair

• romance
• fling
• intrigue
• liaison

Examples of affair in a Sentence

After the war, the government focused on its own domestic affairs.

They accused the U.S. of interfering in the internal affairs of other nations.

How I choose to live is my affair, not yours.

adulterous affairs between married men and single women

Recent Examples on the Web

Alix Earle’s stepmother opened up about the choices that once made her tabloid fodder, including her connection to the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal and her affair with the influencer’s married father. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026

Secondo is dating a good-natured and devoted young American woman (Minnie Driver), while simultaneously having an affair with Pascal’s Italian girlfriend and hostess (Isabella Rossellini). — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2026

Military affairs expert Song Zhongping told Global Times that the event’s significance lies in its demonstration that the Type 99B has formally entered service with PLA Army armored units and has developed combat capabilities. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026

This adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s 2022 debut novel on PBS follows a clandestine affair between a young Catholic schoolteacher and a Protestant barrister during the Troubles in Ireland. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aferes "activities," affaire "enterprise," borrowed from Anglo-French afaire, affere "business, activity, enterprise, matter, topic, situation," from the phrase a faire "to do," from a "to" (going back to Latin ad) + faire "to do," going back to Latin facere — more at at entry 1, do entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing affair

• love affair
• none of someone's affair/business

Rhymes for affair

• abwehr
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare
• cookware

Kids Definition

affair

noun

af·​fair ə-ˈfa(ə)r 

-ˈfe(ə)r

1

a

plural : commercial, professional, public, or personal business

government affairs

arranged my affairs before leaving

b

: concern entry 2 sense 1, matter

not your affair at all

2

a

: event sense 1b, activity

a social affair

b

: product sense 2, thing

the house was a two-story affair

3

: a brief romantic relationship