liaison

noun

li·​ai·​son lē-ˈā-ˌzän  ˈlē-ə-ˌzän 

nonstandard

ˈlā-ə- 

1

: a binding or thickening agent used in cooking

a butter and flour liaison

2

a

: a close bond or connection : interrelationship

b

: an illicit sexual relationship : affair sense 3a

3

a

: 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

Did you know?

If you took French in school, you might remember that liaison is the word 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 \boh zahr\. We can thank French for the origin of the term liaison, as well. It comes from Middle French lier, meaning “to bind or tie.” Other English senses of liaison apply it to all kinds of bonds—from binding and thickening agents used in cooking (as in “a butter and flour liaison”), to people who work to connect different groups, to the kind of secret relationship sometimes entered into by two people who are romantically attracted to one another.

Synonyms

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

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 establish a close liaison with employees.

He regretted his liaison with a woman from the office.

Recent Examples on the Web

Genji’s liaisons, each marked by an exchange of poems, succeed one another so divertingly that their sorrows accumulate by stealth. —Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 June 2025

The office's legislative liaison, Steve Knudson, declined comment. —Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025

Leading CISOs place security liaisons within product development teams, establish regular collaboration sessions with IT and business units and ensure security considerations are woven into business decision-making processes from the ground up. —Dara Warn, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

Most of the usual brigade is back, including the last movie’s additions: new IMF agent Grace (Hayley Atwell), French assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff), and villainous liaison to the Entity Gabriel (Esai Morales). —Ben Rosenstock, Time, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from lier, from Old French

First Known Use

circa 1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for liaison

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon

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Kids Definition

liaison

noun

li·​ai·​son ˈlē-ə-ˌzän  lē-ˈā- 

1

: a close connection

2

: communication especially between parts of an armed force

3

: a person who sets up or keeps up liaison