1
as in traveling
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 identifying
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 combining
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 cooperating
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 mixing
to take part in social activities
you should try to associate with people your own age
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 associating
Harvard University’s president and four other administrators formed what became known as the Secret Court to investigate students suspected of being gay or associating with gay students.
—
USA Today, 6 May 2026
Does that ever give you pause about associating yourself so fully with one brand?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
The British royal family seems to be trying really hard to distance itself from the Epstein scandal, and part of that involves the King and the major players not associating themselves with Andrew or Fergie again.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 14 Apr. 2026
Each embedding — a way of associating each point on the sphere to a point within the flag variety — can be defined by a polynomial equation.
—Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Hershey Foods, viewing Hersheypark as new and untested, did not want to risk visitors associating its brands with what could be a failing theme park.
—John Haddad, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Some children are associating key vocabulary words from the page to the pictures on the page.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026
All have denied any wrongdoing or seeing anything untoward on their visits, and many have expressed regret at associating with Epstein.
—Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
But for the most part, your brain gets used to it despite associating the aesthetic with chaos and momentum.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
USA Today, 6 May 2026
Does that ever give you pause about associating yourself so fully with one brand?
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
The British royal family seems to be trying really hard to distance itself from the Epstein scandal, and part of that involves the King and the major players not associating themselves with Andrew or Fergie again.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 14 Apr. 2026
Each embedding — a way of associating each point on the sphere to a point within the flag variety — can be defined by a polynomial equation.
—Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
Hershey Foods, viewing Hersheypark as new and untested, did not want to risk visitors associating its brands with what could be a failing theme park.
—John Haddad, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Some children are associating key vocabulary words from the page to the pictures on the page.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026
All have denied any wrongdoing or seeing anything untoward on their visits, and many have expressed regret at associating with Epstein.
—Isabelle Chapman, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
But for the most part, your brain gets used to it despite associating the aesthetic with chaos and momentum.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for associating
Verb
-
Hamaguchi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Léa Le Dimna, spent two years developing the project in France, traveling between Tokyo and Paris and conducting actor workshops to familiarize himself with how French performers approach text.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
Brentford end their season with a home game against Crystal Palace on Sunday before travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool on the final day on May 24.—
Nnamdi Onyeagwara,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Given the sheer number of stocks offering dividends, identifying the right ones is not always straightforward.—
TipRanks.com Staff,
CNBC,
10 May 2026
-
This week’s hack into information from almost 9,000 schools included personally identifying data.—
Susan Svrluga,
Washington Post,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The maps are created by combining satellite imagery that detects sargassum in the open ocean with models that track ocean currents.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
By combining fleet data with external weather information, the company has developed higher-resolution maps of conditions such as coastal fog, particularly in places like San Francisco and Phoenix, where weather can shift sharply over short distances.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Authorities have accused the men of killing Vega to prevent her from cooperating with authorities.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
12 May 2026
-
Independence police said the driver of the Tacoma remained at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The series has grown increasingly physical with each passing game and the young Ducklings haven’t shied away from mixing it up with the more experienced Golden Knights, outskating and outhitting them to even the series.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Differentiate your cabinets Whether by using a different material like stainless steel, a collection of dramatic colors, or mixing open shelving with closed shelving, creating variety by mixing up your cabinets can add personality to a kitchen plan regardless of the square footage.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Parents will appreciate that each floor has connecting room options.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
-
Yastrzemski, one of Atlanta’s key offseason acquisitions, had gone 116 at-bats in 38-plus games before connecting on his first long ball.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Tasks that once required hours of manual tracing—following transactions across multiple blockchains, correlating entities, building reports—can now be completed in minutes by AI agents.—
Victor Fang,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Clearly, something correlating with a generational change is shaping this disease.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The result was a single, self-consistent model uniting elements physically and statistically.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
-
Frank never had a chance of uniting the crowd following lethargic home defeats to Chelsea, Fulham and Arsenal.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Associating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/associating. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
