as·so·ci·ate
ə-ˈsō-shē-ˌāt 
-sē-
associated; associating
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
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.
as·so·ciate
ə-ˈsō-shē-ət
-sē-,
-ˌāt,
-shət
1
: one associated with another: such as
2
3
often capitalized
: a degree conferred especially by a junior college
associate in arts
as·so·ciate
ə-ˈsō-shē-ət
-sē-,
-ˌāt,
-shət
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
Synonyms
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
Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh will also be closing May 1 as part of the larger closure associated with work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new attraction that is set to open later this year.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The Contention Au-Ag mineralization zones are generally west dipping at around 60-80 degrees, associated with the quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The Day-Date—a serious watch associated with multiple U.S. presidents—morphed into a pastel puzzle with hippy-dippy messages in place of the weekdays and emoticons in place of the date.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
Idahoans primarily associate Idaho’s mountains with world-class ski resorts, backcountry adventures or spectacular hiking trails.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024
People generally associate zoonotic diseases with rural settings, farms or the wilderness, said Florian Krammer, a flu expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York who led the study, which was published online last week.
—Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
That effort is particularly tricky in South Korea, where meat is associated with wealth and health, and where tabletop barbecuing is a way of life.
—Min Joo Kim, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Goslings’ classic Black Seal expression is the signature rum for the Dark N’ Stormy cocktail, and the brand itself is indelibly associated with Bermuda.
—Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The attorney general ultimately sued Mr. Trump and several associates, including Mr. Weisselberg, accusing them of inflating his financial statements in order to receive better loan terms.
—Ben Protess, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
At two stores in Manhattan, several associates said they’d been told during training to advise teens and tweens to avoid products with active ingredients such as the anti-aging retinol.
—Jeannette Neumann, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
And Michael Kevin Darnall, who channels the cadences of the 40th president, is splendidly sleazy as Whaley’s associate Ed.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Cheyenne Darcy Amaya Associate Producer at NBC News Noah Osborne
Noah Osborne is a news associate with NBC News Digital.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Like le Carré, Forsyth was an associate of MI6 (as a longtime unpaid informant).
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Another associate of Griselda's, Jean-Luc, cuts the station's electricity to distract the guards and Charly is able to make it over the fence.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Turpin had an associate degree from Morehead State University, and became a member of the U.S. Army National Guard in July 2019, according to his obituary.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Didi Martinez Didi Martinez is an associate producer with the NBC News Investigative Unit.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Annie Blay, associate beauty editor Annie Blay Most Popular
Nestled in the corner of a quaint brownstone is Brooklyn Face & Eye.
—Annie Blay, Allure, 11 Apr. 2024
Legislation has yet to be proposed but under MPA’s vision, a process overseen by a federal judge will be created in which a copyright holder can move for an order to block a certain site, says MPA senior vice president and associate general counsel Ben Sheffner.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Freddy immediately picked the baby up, according to associate animal curator Laura Klutts.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
And other conspicuously young conductors are starting to find the spotlight, such as Franco-British conductor Stephanie Childress, who at 23 has nabbed principal guest conductor posts with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, as well as an associate conductor post with the Sun Valley Music Festival.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
And why not bundle course materials when colleges are throwing in everything but the kitchen sink: libraries, sports, student activities, research, healthcare, and all kinds of advising and support from countless associate deans.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
This year still had the third-largest applicant pool in history, Logan Powell, associate provost for enrollment and dean of undergraduate admission, said in a release.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Most of the previous job losses last year were at locations associated with COVID-19 test manufacturing and resulted in Thermo Fisher shuttering three facilities.
—Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh will also be closing May 1 as part of the larger closure associated with work on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a new attraction that is set to open later this year.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The Contention Au-Ag mineralization zones are generally west dipping at around 60-80 degrees, associated with the quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes.
—Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
The Day-Date—a serious watch associated with multiple U.S. presidents—morphed into a pastel puzzle with hippy-dippy messages in place of the weekdays and emoticons in place of the date.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
Idahoans primarily associate Idaho’s mountains with world-class ski resorts, backcountry adventures or spectacular hiking trails.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024
People generally associate zoonotic diseases with rural settings, farms or the wilderness, said Florian Krammer, a flu expert at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York who led the study, which was published online last week.
—Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
That effort is particularly tricky in South Korea, where meat is associated with wealth and health, and where tabletop barbecuing is a way of life.
—Min Joo Kim, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Goslings’ classic Black Seal expression is the signature rum for the Dark N’ Stormy cocktail, and the brand itself is indelibly associated with Bermuda.
—Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Be a good listener and a helpful associate, but don’t take the blame for someone else’s shortcomings.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The attorney general ultimately sued Mr. Trump and several associates, including Mr. Weisselberg, accusing them of inflating his financial statements in order to receive better loan terms.
—Ben Protess, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
At two stores in Manhattan, several associates said they’d been told during training to advise teens and tweens to avoid products with active ingredients such as the anti-aging retinol.
—Jeannette Neumann, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
And Michael Kevin Darnall, who channels the cadences of the 40th president, is splendidly sleazy as Whaley’s associate Ed.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Cheyenne Darcy Amaya Associate Producer at NBC News Noah Osborne
Noah Osborne is a news associate with NBC News Digital.
—Noah Osborne, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Like le Carré, Forsyth was an associate of MI6 (as a longtime unpaid informant).
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Another associate of Griselda's, Jean-Luc, cuts the station's electricity to distract the guards and Charly is able to make it over the fence.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Turpin had an associate degree from Morehead State University, and became a member of the U.S. Army National Guard in July 2019, according to his obituary.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Abrams left a law firm job to become an associate producer at Court TV and was promoted to reporter just before the Simpson case heated up.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Didi Martinez Didi Martinez is an associate producer with the NBC News Investigative Unit.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Annie Blay, associate beauty editor Annie Blay Most Popular
Nestled in the corner of a quaint brownstone is Brooklyn Face & Eye.
—Annie Blay, Allure, 11 Apr. 2024
Legislation has yet to be proposed but under MPA’s vision, a process overseen by a federal judge will be created in which a copyright holder can move for an order to block a certain site, says MPA senior vice president and associate general counsel Ben Sheffner.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Freddy immediately picked the baby up, according to associate animal curator Laura Klutts.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
And other conspicuously young conductors are starting to find the spotlight, such as Franco-British conductor Stephanie Childress, who at 23 has nabbed principal guest conductor posts with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, as well as an associate conductor post with the Sun Valley Music Festival.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
And why not bundle course materials when colleges are throwing in everything but the kitchen sink: libraries, sports, student activities, research, healthcare, and all kinds of advising and support from countless associate deans.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
This year still had the third-largest applicant pool in history, Logan Powell, associate provost for enrollment and dean of undergraduate admission, said in a release.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'associate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb, Noun, and Adjective
Middle English associat associated, from Latin associatus, past participle of associare to unite, from ad- + sociare to join, from socius companion — more at social
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of associate was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing associate
Dictionary Entries Near associate
Cite this Entry
“Associate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/associate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
associate
1 of 2 verb
as·so·ci·ate
ə-ˈsō-shē-ˌāt
-sē-ˌāt
associated; associating
1
: to join or come together as partners, friends, or companions
2
: to connect in thought
associate hot chocolate with winter
3
: to combine or join with other parts : unite
associate
2 of 2 noun
as·so·ci·ate
ə-ˈsō-shē-ət,
-sē-ət,
-shət,
-shē-ˌāt,
-sē-ˌāt
1
: a fellow worker : colleague
3
often capitalized
: a degree given especially by a junior college
associate in arts
associate
adjective
Etymology
Verb
Middle English associat "connected, related," derived from Latin associare "to unite," from ad- "to" and sociare "to join," from socius "companion" — related to sociable
Medical Definition
associate
1 of 3 verb
as·so·ci·ate
ə-ˈsō-s(h)ē-ˌāt
associated; associating
1
: to join or connect (things) together
2
: to bring together in a relationship
infectious disease associated with a rise in body temperature
1
: to combine or join with other parts
fibrils of the sensory neurons associate with motor neurons—S. J. Jacob & C. A. Francone
S. J. Jacob & C. A. Francone2
: to engage in free association
the patient associated freely about his childhood
associate
2 of 3 adjective
as·so·ciate
ə-ˈsō-s(h)ē-ət, -shət, -s(h)ē-ˌāt
: ranking immediately below the senior or chief position
associate clinical professor of medicine
associate medical examiner
associate
3 of 3 noun
as·so·ciate
like₂
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
Skagit Valley College Catalog
Legal Definition
associate
noun
as·so·ciate
ə-ˈsō-shē-ət, -sē-ət, -shət
: a lawyer employed by a law firm compare partner
More from Merriam-Webster on associate
Nglish: Translation of associate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of associate for Arabic Speakers
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