connection

noun

con·​nec·​tion kə-ˈnek-shən 

1

: the act of connecting : the state of being connected: such as

a

: causal or logical relation or sequence

the connection between two ideas

b(1)

: contextual relation or association

In this connection the word has a different meaning.

(2)

: relationship in fact

wanted in connection with a robbery

c

: a relation of personal intimacy (as of family ties)

Family connections can make getting a job much easier.

d

: coherence, continuity

… a confused multitude without order or connection.

—John Locke

2

a

: something that connects : link

a loose connection in the wiring

b

: a means of communication or transport

a telephone connection

3

: a person connected with another especially by marriage, kinship, or common interest

has powerful connections

4

: a political, social, professional, or commercial relationship

The school has no connection with the museum.

: such as

a

: position, job

b

: an arrangement to execute orders or advance interests of another

a firm's foreign connections

c

: a source of contraband (such as illegal drugs)

5

: a set of persons associated together: such as

a

: denomination

b

: clan

connectional

kə-ˈnek-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Synonyms

• affinity
• association
• bearing
• kinship
• liaison
• linkage
• relation
• relationship

Examples of connection in a Sentence

The state plans to improve roads that serve as connections between major highways.

There is a fee for connection to the town's water supply.

All classrooms will be wired for connection to the Internet.

connections between thought and language

Investigators found no connection between the two fires.

The school has no connection with the museum.

Evidence suggests there's a connection between the languages.

I'm not sure I see the connection.

Our family feels a deep connection to the land.

the connection between smoking and lung cancer

Recent Examples on the Web

Their humorous meeting evolves into an electric connection. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024

Two men were arrested Wednesday in connection to a Westwood shooting that left one dead nearly six months ago. —Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 4 Apr. 2024

Those with the means and connections are fleeing to company towns. —Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

Ten years after a white supremacist murdered three people outside the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, a nonprofit that aims to shine light in the face of darkness hopes to expand the message of kindness and connection in the community. —Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024

Venus and Neptune’s alignment bestows a romantic connection with spiritual significance. —USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

Mert & Marcus/Versace Even Hathaway's stylist, Erin Walsh, made the Mia Thermopolis connection. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 3 Apr. 2024

But nothing compares to the Loyola-Mira Costa match when communities come together and the players rise or fall with an emotional connection that can’t be duplicated. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024

Instead, the novels explored the danger of connection, of the way a thought, once shared, can expand into an unstoppable force—a radical, terrifying ideology or a shrewd solution to a seemingly insurmountable crisis. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin connexion-, connexio, from conectere — see connect

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing connection

• make a/the connection
• in connection with
• bad connection
• necessary connection

Kids Definition

connection

noun

con·​nec·​tion kə-ˈnek-shən 

1

: the act of connecting

2

: the fact or condition of being connected : relationship

the connection between dirt and disease

3

a

: a thing that connects

b

: a means of communication

a bad telephone connection

c

: a means of continuing a trip (as by train)

4

a

: a person connected with others (as by kinship)

b

: a social, professional, or commercial relationship