Definition of liaison
1 : a binding or thickening agent used in cooking a butter and flour liaison
2a : a close bond or connection : interrelationshipb : an illicit sexual relationship : affair 3a
3a : communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation (as between parts of an armed force)b : a person who establishes and maintains communication for mutual understanding and cooperation a press liaison
4 : the pronunciation of an otherwise absent consonant sound at the end of the first of two consecutive words the second of which begins with a vowel sound and follows without pause
From the M-W Editors
liaison was our Word of the Day on 08/16/2013. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of liaison in a Sentence
Today's army works on rotations; soldiers are deployed for about a year and then (in principle at least) they come home. When that happens, local liaisons and intelligence relationships must be rebuilt. —James K. Galbraith, Mother Jones, March/April 2006
I had known Korologos when I was Solicitor General, and he was the Nixon White House's liaison to the Senate. He was a great support. —Robert H. Bork, The Tempting of America, 1990
Gossip columnists began to infer from Evelyn's disappearances that she was engaging in reckless liaisons, and her name was linked with dozens of men around town. —E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975
She acts as a liaison between the police department and city schools.
Administrators need to maintain better liaison with employees.
Administrators need to establish a close liaison with employees.
He regretted his liaison with a woman from the office.
Recent Examples of liaison from the Web
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When Lucas quit playing, the Braves, who were preparing to move from Milwaukee to Atlanta, hired him as a public-relations liaison to the black community.
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The police department changed its policy on conducting bar checks and created an LGBT liaison.
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Lynn, 52, a former law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service and Secret Service, had led a department that acts as a liaison to Interior’s other enforcement agencies.
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That included placing a liaison in the law enforcement operations center.
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Dunes State Park water director Evan Mazurkiewicz manages the park's beach, and acts as the liaison between Baughman and the lifeguard staff.
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The positions include six auditors, five compliance managers, three policy analysts and three community liaisons.
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The son of a State Department liaison, Johnson was born in Munich, Germany, and lived around world before settling in the Far West.
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A police liaison officer rang Olivia’s stepfather, Paul Hodgson.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'liaison'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
If you took French in school, you might remember that liaison is the term for the phenomenon that causes a silent consonant at the end of one word to sound like it begins the next word when that word begins with a vowel, so that a phrase like beaux arts sounds like "bo zart." We can thank French for the origin of the term, as well. Liaison derives from the Middle French lier, meaning "to bind or tie," and is related to our word liable. Our various English senses of liaison apply it to all kinds of bonds-from people who work to connect different groups to the kind of relationship sometimes entered into by two people who are attracted to one another.
Origin and Etymology of liaison
French, from Middle French, from lier, from Old French
First Known Use: circa 1648
LIAISON Defined for English Language Learners
liaison
playDefinition of liaison for English Language Learners
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: a person who helps organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other
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: a relationship that allows different organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other
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: a secret sexual relationship
Learn More about liaison
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See words that rhyme with liaison Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for liaison Spanish Central: Translation of liaison Nglish: Translation of liaison for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of liaison for Arabic speakers
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