affiliate

1 of 2

verb

af·​fil·​i·​ate ə-ˈfi-lē-ˌāt How to pronounce affiliate (audio)
affiliated; affiliating

transitive verb

1
a
: to bring or receive into close connection as a member or branch
The medical school is affiliated with a hospital.
b
: to associate as a member
affiliates herself with the local club
2
: to trace the origin of
affiliated Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to earlier plays

intransitive verb

: to connect or associate oneself : combine
refused to affiliate with any political party

affiliate

2 of 2

noun

af·​fil·​i·​ate ə-ˈfi-lē-ət How to pronounce affiliate (audio)
-ˌāt
: an affiliated person or organization
the network's local affiliates

Examples of affiliate in a Sentence

Verb Their group does not affiliate itself with any political party. Noun Two of the company's regional affiliates lost money in the past year. our local Humane Society is an affiliate of a national organization
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Christina Che-Castaldo is a quantitative ecologist affiliated with the U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, and the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024 This May, Condé Nast reached a new agreement with the Condé Nast Union, which is also affiliated with the NewsGuild of New York — heading off a potential picket line in front of the company’s lavish annual celeb-heavy Met Gala fundraising event. Todd Spangler, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
Noun
The Kern Fire Department told CBS News affiliate KBAX that firefighters were called to a report of a medical emergency on the plane. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2024 Family members of Julie Le Roux told NBC affiliate WRAL-TV that after days of searching, her body was recovered by first responders on Friday, Oct.4. Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for affiliate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'affiliate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably from French affilier "to bring into close connection" (going back to Middle French, "to adopt as a son," borrowed from Medieval Latin affīliāre, from Latin ad- ad- + -fīliāre, verbal derivative of fīlius "son") + -ate entry 4 — more at feminine entry 1

Noun

derivative of affiliate entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1767, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1793, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of affiliate was in 1767

Dictionary Entries Near affiliate

Cite this Entry

“Affiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affiliate. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

affiliate

1 of 2 verb
af·​fil·​i·​ate ə-ˈfil-ē-ˌāt How to pronounce affiliate (audio)
affiliated; affiliating
: to connect closely often as a member, branch, or associate
affiliation noun

affiliate

2 of 2 noun
af·​fil·​i·​ate ə-ˈfil-ē-ət How to pronounce affiliate (audio)
: an affiliated person or organization

Legal Definition

affiliate

1 of 2 verb
af·​fil·​i·​ate ə-ˈfi-lē-ˌāt How to pronounce affiliate (audio)
affiliated; affiliating

transitive verb

1
: to bring or receive into close association as a member or division
2
: to join or associate as a member or division

intransitive verb

: to connect or associate oneself
usually used with with
has just affiliated with the huge corporation
affiliation noun

affiliate

2 of 2 noun
af·​fil·​i·​ate ə-ˈfi-lē-ət How to pronounce affiliate (audio)
: an affiliated person or organization
specifically : a business entity effectively controlling or controlled by another or associated with others under common ownership or control compare parent sense 2, subsidiary

More from Merriam-Webster on affiliate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!