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af·fil·i·ate
ə-ˈfi-lē-ˌāt 
affiliated; affiliating
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
: to connect or associate oneself : combine
refused to affiliate with any political party
af·fil·i·ate
ə-ˈfi-lē-ət
-ˌāt
: an affiliated person or organization
the network's local affiliates
Example Sentences
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
Robert Barnes And Ann E. Marimow, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Feb. 2023
In those cases the AI should never affiliate with political parties or judge one group as good, for example.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023
North Carolina permits its athletes to affiliate themselves with almost every conceivable company; only cannabis products, alcohol, casinos and adult entertainment are prohibited.
—Bruce Schoenfeld, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023
Experts told ABC News wanting to belong to a group is nothing new and extends from wild animals running in a pack to humans wanting to affiliate.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2023
Businesses can affiliate their leadership, brands, support handles, employees or teams.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Dec. 2022
And yet according to the survey data when forced to choose this community seems to affiliate with a white Spanish identity, blanco.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2011
Similarly, previous research showed that dogs given oxytocin tend to approach and affiliate more with other dogs.
—Jason P. Dinh, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2022
The rule extends to affiliate marketers like Barstool via Ohio Adm. Code 3775-16-08(I).
—Jacob Grubman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Adi Robertson, The Verge, 20 Mar. 2023
Millions of livestock have died in the current crisis compounded by climate change and insecurity as Somalia battles thousands of fighters with al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab.
—Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
The Northern California affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union has weighed in against the law on free speech grounds, though the national organization has affirmed the constitutionality of COVID vaccine mandates.
—Bernard J. Wolfson, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2023
In 2013 at the age of 24, he was killed by an al-Qaeda affiliate targeting Christians.
—Salwan Georges, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2023
In the coming weeks, Bello will build his workload by pitching in minor league games — first in spring training, then likely in a season-opening assignment with an affiliate.
—Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Mar. 2023
An affiliate of Phoenix Investors LLC filed that sealed purchase agreement with Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Sosnay, who was presiding over a hearing on the City of Milwaukee's request that it be granted ownership of the dilapidated mall.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2023
MoffettNathanson, a division of SVB Securities, the investment-banking affiliate of Silicon Valley Bank, is continuing to publish work and host conference calls for clients days after financial regulators seized its sister bank.
—Peter Rudegeair, WSJ, 13 Mar. 2023
Just last week, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, a Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced an alternate mascot, the Amarillo Calf Fries, complete with hilarious imagery.
—Brittanie Shey, Chron, 13 Mar. 2023
See More
Verb
While Roberts and Kagan have declined to address groups with such ideological leanings, Alito has vigorously defended federal jurists who choose to affiliate with such organizations.
—Robert Barnes And Ann E. Marimow, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Feb. 2023
In those cases the AI should never affiliate with political parties or judge one group as good, for example.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023
North Carolina permits its athletes to affiliate themselves with almost every conceivable company; only cannabis products, alcohol, casinos and adult entertainment are prohibited.
—Bruce Schoenfeld, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023
Experts told ABC News wanting to belong to a group is nothing new and extends from wild animals running in a pack to humans wanting to affiliate.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2023
Businesses can affiliate their leadership, brands, support handles, employees or teams.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 19 Dec. 2022
And yet according to the survey data when forced to choose this community seems to affiliate with a white Spanish identity, blanco.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2011
Similarly, previous research showed that dogs given oxytocin tend to approach and affiliate more with other dogs.
—Jason P. Dinh, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2022
The rule extends to affiliate marketers like Barstool via Ohio Adm. Code 3775-16-08(I).
—Jacob Grubman, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Noun
In a response, the Internet Archive says it’s received around $5,500 total in affiliate revenue and that its digital scanning service is separate from the Open Library.
—Adi Robertson, The Verge, 20 Mar. 2023
Millions of livestock have died in the current crisis compounded by climate change and insecurity as Somalia battles thousands of fighters with al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, al-Shabab.
—Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 20 Mar. 2023
The Northern California affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union has weighed in against the law on free speech grounds, though the national organization has affirmed the constitutionality of COVID vaccine mandates.
—Bernard J. Wolfson, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2023
In 2013 at the age of 24, he was killed by an al-Qaeda affiliate targeting Christians.
—Salwan Georges, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2023
In the coming weeks, Bello will build his workload by pitching in minor league games — first in spring training, then likely in a season-opening assignment with an affiliate.
—Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Mar. 2023
An affiliate of Phoenix Investors LLC filed that sealed purchase agreement with Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Sosnay, who was presiding over a hearing on the City of Milwaukee's request that it be granted ownership of the dilapidated mall.
—Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2023
MoffettNathanson, a division of SVB Securities, the investment-banking affiliate of Silicon Valley Bank, is continuing to publish work and host conference calls for clients days after financial regulators seized its sister bank.
—Peter Rudegeair, WSJ, 13 Mar. 2023
Just last week, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, a Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced an alternate mascot, the Amarillo Calf Fries, complete with hilarious imagery.
—Brittanie Shey, Chron, 13 Mar. 2023
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'affiliate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Dictionary Entries Near affiliate
Cite this Entry
“Affiliate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affiliate. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.
Kids Definition
affiliate
1 of 2 verb
af·fil·i·ate
ə-ˈfil-ē-ˌāt
affiliated; affiliating
: to connect closely often as a member, branch, or associate
affiliate
2 of 2 noun
af·fil·i·ate
ə-ˈfil-ē-ət
: an affiliated person or organization
Legal Definition
affiliate
1 of 2 verb
af·fil·i·ate
ə-ˈfi-lē-ˌāt
affiliated; affiliating
1
: to bring or receive into close association as a member or division
2
: to join or associate as a member or division
: to connect or associate oneself
—usually used with with
has just affiliated with the huge corporation
affiliate
2 of 2 noun
af·fil·i·ate
ə-ˈfi-lē-ət
: 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
Nglish: Translation of affiliate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of affiliate for Arabic Speakers
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