1
as in travels
to come or be together as friends
a socially ambitious couple who joined the country club in order to associate with the right sort of people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in identifies
to think of (something) in combination
she still associates Memorial Day with her long-ago fiancé, who died in Vietnam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in combines
to come together to form a single unit
the elements hydrogen and oxygen associate to form molecules of water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in cooperates
to form or enter into an association that furthers the interests of its members
nations deciding to associate in order to remove trade barriers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in mixes
to take part in social activities
you should try to associate with people your own age
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in colleagues
a person frequently seen in the company of another
a number of his associates were members of organized crime, so he was a person of interest to the FBI
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in coworkers
a fellow worker
my associates at the office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of associates
Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
Greene’s heart-to-heart media tour has been jarring liberals and anyone else who associates her with conspiratorial beliefs and outrageous comments.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Everyone associates that with us.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025
Hunger can be another motivator, especially if your feline associates certain times or behaviors with food.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Create Low-Stakes Opportunities for Visibility Gen Z often associates visibility with exposure to criticism.
—Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Especially given the fact that the latter only associates itself with organic style stars, not limited to Solange and Beyoncé.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 25 Aug. 2025
The brain also associates hyperarousal while playing video games with dopamine.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Weeks earlier, in late May of 2022, Lago and several associates had purchased a storefront directly across the street and then leased it to Location Ventures as a future sales center for roughly $12,400 a month.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe, as well as two additional attacks in Canada, the complaint states.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The four-parter includes in-depth interviews with people close to Combs, from childhood friends to business associates, as well as Joi Dickerson-Neal, who accused the rapper-actor-mogul of drugging and raping her in the 1990s.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Federal authorities charged more than 25 alleged members and associates of Tren de Aragua (TdA), seizing more than 80 firearms, roughly 18 kilograms of drugs and more than $100,000 in cash as part of a sweeping crackdown on the violent transnational gang.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Bell and his associates formed the Bell Telephone Company (1877), adopted a leasing model, secured patents, settled a pivotal dispute with Western Union (1879), and participated in building the manufacturing and long-distance infrastructure that scaled the telephone nationwide in the next decade.
—David H. Hsu, Fortune, 11 May 2026
The title of the album, Omerta, is taken from an Italian code of honor among associates who have each other’s backs.
—Lucas Villa, SPIN, 11 May 2026
Back to our sales example, this would be the equivalent of companies negotiating airline rates for bulk purchase to ensure all sales associates can travel at a lower cost.
—Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
Verb
In practical terms, that means Forest now associates humans with food and safety, the opposite of what a wild deer needs to survive.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2026
Greene’s heart-to-heart media tour has been jarring liberals and anyone else who associates her with conspiratorial beliefs and outrageous comments.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Everyone associates that with us.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025
Hunger can be another motivator, especially if your feline associates certain times or behaviors with food.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Create Low-Stakes Opportunities for Visibility Gen Z often associates visibility with exposure to criticism.
—Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Especially given the fact that the latter only associates itself with organic style stars, not limited to Solange and Beyoncé.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 25 Aug. 2025
The brain also associates hyperarousal while playing video games with dopamine.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
Indeed, as the 1980s wore on, the most profitable banks were those who could muster the largest number of associates to dream up deals, analysts to vet them, salespeople to win new business, and traders to buy and sell securities.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2026
Weeks earlier, in late May of 2022, Lago and several associates had purchased a storefront directly across the street and then leased it to Location Ventures as a future sales center for roughly $12,400 a month.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
Al-Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated, and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe, as well as two additional attacks in Canada, the complaint states.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The four-parter includes in-depth interviews with people close to Combs, from childhood friends to business associates, as well as Joi Dickerson-Neal, who accused the rapper-actor-mogul of drugging and raping her in the 1990s.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Federal authorities charged more than 25 alleged members and associates of Tren de Aragua (TdA), seizing more than 80 firearms, roughly 18 kilograms of drugs and more than $100,000 in cash as part of a sweeping crackdown on the violent transnational gang.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Bell and his associates formed the Bell Telephone Company (1877), adopted a leasing model, secured patents, settled a pivotal dispute with Western Union (1879), and participated in building the manufacturing and long-distance infrastructure that scaled the telephone nationwide in the next decade.
—David H. Hsu, Fortune, 11 May 2026
The title of the album, Omerta, is taken from an Italian code of honor among associates who have each other’s backs.
—Lucas Villa, SPIN, 11 May 2026
Back to our sales example, this would be the equivalent of companies negotiating airline rates for bulk purchase to ensure all sales associates can travel at a lower cost.
—Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for associates
Verb
-
Doctor Who, the longest-running British sci-fi television series, follows the stories of a regenerating Time Lord who travels on adventures through all of time and space.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
The Doctor) who travels on adventures through all of time and space.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
While the city identifies it as a major commercial corridor, the last large-scale development — a series of hotels — came 10 years ago, City Manager Paul Kramer told the City Council on Monday.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
14 May 2026
-
The accompanying wall label identifies the dress as a 2025 edition of the original 2023 design, although only Hadari is credited as its creator.—
Lilyanna D'Amato,
ARTnews.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Now 76, her approach to travel combines practicality with personal comfort.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
-
Inside, the formula combines four forms of vitamin C—ascorbyl glucoside, ascorbic acid, 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid, and sodium ascorbyl phosphate—for a more layered, stable approach to brightening and antioxidant protection.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Currently, our city has been engaging in contracts with private surveillance companies like Flock, which cooperates directly with ICE.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
The Fulu Foundation, a non-profit advocating consumer rights, is offering a $24,000 bounty to any hacker who can find a simple way to cut Ring video doorbells’ persistent connection to Amazon, and therefore any law enforcement agency Amazon cooperates with.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The collection, available May 7-10 at participating Krispy Kreme shops nationwide, mixes two new mini doughnuts with two fan favorites, according to the chain.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Some of the new cocktails include the Dubai Tai, which mixes rum, a pistachio simple syrup and chocolate, and the Ay Dio Tigre, made with tequila, strawberry, watermelon, tajin and red food coloring.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
People showed up the following morning for their sessions, but he and his colleagues were forced to turn them away.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Guests rub shoulders with neighborhood executives looking for an express lunch with colleagues at Il Cittadino.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Comedy is the throughline that bonds it all together.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Although her sons might not be interested in acting yet, there's another way Banks bonds with her kids.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For a recent study in the journal Intelligence, Stanisław Czerwiński of the University of Gdańsk in Poland and his colleagues investigated how intelligence correlates with mental health.—
Simon Makin,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
The price of ethanol roughly correlates to the price of oil.—
Star Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Associates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/associates. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
