associate

verb

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as·so·ci·ate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ˌāt

, -sē- \

associated; associating

Definition of associate

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to join as a partner, friend, or companion They were closely associated with each other during the war.

2 : to join or connect together : combine particles of gold associated with heavy minerals

3 : to bring together or into relationship in any of various intangible ways (as in memory or imagination) She will always associate that place with her youth.

4 obsolete : to keep company with : attend

intransitive verb

1 : to come or be together as partners, friends, or companions was accused of associating with known criminals

2 : to combine or join with other parts : unite Protons, neutrons, and electrons associate together to form atoms.

associate

noun

as·so·ciate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ət

, -sē-, -ˌāt, -shət \

Definition of associate (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : one associated with another: such as

a : partner, colleague business associates

b : companion, comrade a close associate during his college years

2a : an entry-level member (as of a learned society, professional organization, or profession) an associate of the Royal Academy

b : employee, worker

3 often capitalized : a degree conferred especially by a junior college associate in arts

associate

adjective

as·so·ciate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ət

, -sē-, -ˌāt, -shət \

Definition of associate (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : closely connected (as in function or office) with another : sharing in responsibility or authority associate judges

2 : having secondary or subordinate status associate membership in a society

3 : closely related especially in the mind faith and its associate virtues

Other Words from associate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about associate

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Choose the Right Synonym for associate

Verb

join, combine, unite, connect, link, associate, relate mean to bring or come together into some manner of union. join implies a bringing into contact or conjunction of any degree of closeness. joined forces in an effort to win combine implies some merging or mingling with corresponding loss of identity of each unit. combined jazz and rock to create a new music unite implies somewhat greater loss of separate identity. the colonies united to form a republic connect suggests a loose or external attachment with little or no loss of identity. a mutual defense treaty connected the two nations link may imply strong connection or inseparability of elements still retaining identity. a name forever linked with liberty associate stresses the mere fact of frequent occurrence or existence together in space or in logical relation. opera is popularly associated with high society relate suggests the existence of a real or presumed logical connection. related what he observed to what he already knew

Examples of associate in a Sentence

Verb I no longer wish to be associated with people like him. She associates herself with some pretty strange people. Noun Her associates respected her for her hard work. She started as an associate at the law firm. Adjective He's an associate member of the club but he hopes to become a full member soon. She was promoted from assistant editor to associate editor and may soon be promoted to senior editor.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Worse are bears that learn to associate people with food. — David James, Anchorage Daily News, "In 1977, a biologist was nearly killed by a bear. That didn’t stop him from working for decades to understand them.," 9 Jan. 2021 Standing alone, as if none of the others wanted to associate with it, was a sign for trump supporters. — Fred Bahnson, Harpers Magazine, "The Gate of Heaven Is Everywhere," 5 Jan. 2021 Williams was promoted to associate head coach, USC announced on Thursday after a season in which the program surged 50 spots up the national recruiting rankings and its pass defense improved significantly. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, "USC’s Donte Williams is promoted to associate head coach," 31 Dec. 2020 While fashion has a looser definition of it, Olasov reminds us not to always associate existential thinking with morbidity, and not to confuse it with nihilism. — Laura Pitcher, refinery29.com, "In 2020 Fashion Became Existential — Here’s Why That’s A Good Thing," 31 Dec. 2020 The team, which did not include Gebru, showed that BERT tended to associate phrases referring to disabilities such as cerebral palsy or blindness with negative language. — Tom Simonite, Wired, "Behind the Paper That Led to a Google Researcher's Firing," 8 Dec. 2020 Oregon men’s basketball assistant coach Tony Stubblefield was promoted to associate head coach, Dana Altman announced Wednesday. — oregonlive, "Oregon men’s basketball assistant Tony Stubblefield promoted to associate head coach," 2 Dec. 2020 Exciting news from the world of interchangeable banking institutions: TCF, a name that boomers associate with a hundred time-and-temp signs, has been absorbed by a financial amoeba, and the old local name will be lost. — Star Tribune, "Lileks: Another local name, kaput," 18 Dec. 2020 Despite the equal access, to this day many countries around the world still associate the Phoenicians’ Tyrian purple with royalty, wealth, and splendor. — Mark Woolmer, National Geographic, "Purple Reign: A passion for purple built the Phoenicians' vast trading empire," 24 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Assistance to people awaiting trial will involve connecting clients to mental health treatment, employment opportunities, education, clothing and shelter, said Asia Johnson, a communications associate for the nonprofit. — Angie Jackson, Detroit Free Press, "New Washtenaw County prosecutor will stop seeking cash bail," 4 Jan. 2021 The university awards about 6,700 bachelor’s degrees per year, as well as 4,200 master’s degrees, 2,000 associate’s degrees, 50 or so doctorates and hundreds of undergraduate and graduate certificates. — Washington Post, "Online education leader to take over at University of Maryland Global Campus," 3 Jan. 2021 Customers can still come in to make returns, pay bills, pick up orders, but shopping is restricted to online or communicating with a sales associate. — Dallas News, "Is that light at the end of 2020′s very dark tunnel? Here’s the outlook for vital Dallas-Fort Worth industries," 31 Dec. 2020 Smith is also a teacher and a program associate for Literary Cleveland. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland, "Writer Michelle R. Smith shares favorite dining choices in Cleveland: Five for Friday," 31 Dec. 2020 One reason electric trucks are becoming so popular is that consumers are starting to trust the technology, said Kelley Blue Book associate editor Allyson Haywood. — Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, "Auto trends of 2020: Online buying, electric trucks and SUVs go off-road again," 29 Dec. 2020 Campbell has 20 years of banking experience and joined JD Bank in 2018 as a loan review associate. — NOLA.com, "New Orleans, Baton Rouge area People in Business for Dec. 27, 2020," 27 Dec. 2020 Bradley Cornell, a Southwest Florida policy associate for Audubon Florida, said panther deaths are a reminder of the importance of preserving conservation land and big ranches as habitat in the middle of the state where the animals could expand. — orlandosentinel.com, "Most Florida panthers found dead in 2020 were killed by cars," 26 Dec. 2020 On Tuesday, Trump pardoned two other people convicted in Mueller’s investigation, including former campaign associate George Papadopoulos. — Eileen Kelley, sun-sentinel.com, "Roger Stone gets his pardon from Donald Trump," 23 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective New Orleans area Xavier University of Louisiana has appointed Kimberly Reese as associate vice president for institutional advancement, providing leadership for major fundraising initiatives and managing alumni engagement. — NOLA.com, "New Orleans, Baton Rouge area People in Business for Nov. 29, 2020," 29 Nov. 2020 George Mason University’s new agreement with Sodexo saved the university about $1.5 million in March after lockdowns, said Bill Dracos, associate vice president for business services at the public school in Virginia. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, "College budgets take another hit with dining halls sitting empty," 11 Nov. 2020 In some ways, the changes could reflect 19th century holidays even more authentically, said Chris Petrelli, associate vice president of guest experience. — Joanne Y. Cleaver, chicagotribune.com, "Merry Prairie: 19th century Christmas in Indiana gets a health and safety update for 2020," 8 Nov. 2020 Any plan and timeline to demolish Crosley is tentative and depends on the timelines of two other projects underway on campus, according to John Seibert, the associate vice president for UC's office of Planning+Design+Construction (P+D+C). — Segann March, The Enquirer, "University of Cincinnati has tentative timeline for Crosley Tower demolition," 27 Oct. 2020 The college requires students to be tested twice a week for the coronavirus, said Jason Rojas, chief of staff and associate vice president for external relations. — Michael Hamad, courant.com, "Trinity College extends suspension of in-person classes to Friday after number of coronavirus cases doubles," 11 Oct. 2020 Barb Larson Taylor, Gustavus’ associate vice president for marketing and communication and president of the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce, hopes students will restore some normalcy to the small town. — Ryan Faircloth, Star Tribune, "In Minnesota college towns, returning students bring business boost and COVID-19 risks," 26 Sep. 2020 But when O’Brien asked to see the emails, the claims says, Wright, the senior associate vice president for personnel, refused to provide them. — Kenny Jacoby And Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, "In the spotlight for sex abuse claims, San Jose State University now accused of cover-ups and retaliation," 18 Sep. 2020 At Florida State University, the number of students who have submitted applications is down 32% from 2019, said John Barnhill, the associate vice president for academic affairs. — Annie Martin, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida universities getting fewer applications for 2021," 11 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'associate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

15 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Associate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/associate. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for associate

associate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of associate

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to think of one person or thing when you think of another person or thing

: to be together with another person or group as friends, partners, etc.

associate

noun

English Language Learners Definition of associate (Entry 2 of 3)

: a person who you work with or spend time with

: a member of a group or organization who is at a level that is below the highest level

associate

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of associate (Entry 3 of 3)

: having a rank or position that is below the highest level in a group, organization, etc.

See the full definition for associate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

associate

verb

as·so·ci·ate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ˌāt

associated; associating

Kids Definition of associate

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : to join or come together as partners, friends, or companions He associates with some interesting people.

2 : to connect in thought I associate hot chocolate with winter.

associate

adjective

as·so·ciate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ət

, -shət \

Kids Definition of associate (Entry 2 of 3)

: having a rank or position that is below the highest level an associate member of the club

associate

noun

as·so·ciate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ət

, -shət \

Kids Definition of associate (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a person who you work with or spend time with business associates

associate

verb

as·so·ci·ate | \ ə-ˈsō-s(h)ē-ˌāt

associated; associating

Medical Definition of associate

(Entry 1 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to join or connect (things) together

2 : to bring together in a relationship infectious disease associated with a rise in body temperature

intransitive verb

1 : to combine or join with other parts fibrils of the sensory neurons associate with motor neurons— S. J. Jacob & C. A. Francone

2 : to engage in free association the patient associated freely about his childhood

associate

adjective

as·so·ciate | \ ə-ˈsō-s(h)ē-ət, -shət, -s(h)ē-ˌāt

Medical Definition of associate (Entry 2 of 3)

: ranking immediately below the senior or chief position associate clinical professor of medicine associate medical examiner

associate

noun

as·so·ciate | \like₂ \

Medical Definition of associate (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a research worker or teacher affiliated with a professional organization or institution and ranking below a professor or full member a research associate in pathology

2 often capitalized : a degree conferred especially by a junior college an Associate in Technical Arts degree in nursing — Skagit Valley College Catalog

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associate

noun

as·so·ciate | \ ə-ˈsō-shē-ət, -sē-ət, -shət