affair

noun

af·​fair ə-ˈfer 

1

a

affairs plural : commercial, professional, public, or personal business

handles the company's public affairs

an expert in foreign affairs

b

: matter, concern

How I choose to live is my affair, not yours.

2

: a procedure, action, or occasion only vaguely specified

also : an object or collection of objects only vaguely specified

Their house was a 2-story affair.

3

or less commonly affaire

a

: a romantic or passionate attachment typically of limited duration : liaison sense 2b

had an affair with a coworker

b

: a matter occasioning public anxiety, controversy, or scandal : case

the Watergate affair of the early 1970s

Synonyms

• amour
• fling
• love
• love affair
• romance

Examples of affair in a Sentence

After the war, the government focused on its own domestic affairs.

They accused the U.S. of interfering in the internal affairs of other nations.

How I choose to live is my affair, not yours.

adulterous affairs between married men and single women

Recent Examples on the Web

William Kullman, a former deputy chief of international affairs at ATF, visited Haiti before the devastating 2010 earthquake. —Amanda Coletta, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Hayes beat out three Democrats, including one his top Republican opponent had supported, to make the final leg of the 75th Assembly District race an all-Republican affair. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

Investigator Coldwell continued the internal affair inquiry and sent the case to the Broward Professional Standards Committee, a county oversight group, without a statement from LaCerra or the teen, the lawsuit alleges. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024

Once the affair became public, they were ostracized in their town. —David Oliver, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

As Wilson reveals in Rebel Rising, having franchise cast members Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, Ester Dean and Alexis Knapp back for a third film was not a straightforward affair. —Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024

Lake said Trump handled international affairs, including matters of war, far better than Biden. —Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 2 Apr. 2024

Chapman remains on unpaid administrative leave pending an investigation by internal affairs, according to police. —Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2024

Piper plays the flagship current affairs program’s real-life booker Sam McAlister, whose tenacity in 2019 is credited with placing Emily Maitlis inside Buckingham Palace opposite the soon-to-be former HRH for an hour of monarchy-shaking, fury-inducing, history-making television. —Giles Hattersley, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aferes "activities," affaire "enterprise," borrowed from Anglo-French afaire, affere "business, activity, enterprise, matter, topic, situation," from the phrase a faire "to do," from a "to" (going back to Latin ad) + faire "to do," going back to Latin facere — more at at entry 1, do entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing affair

• none of someone's affair/business
• love affair

Kids Definition

affair

noun

af·​fair ə-ˈfa(ə)r 

-ˈfe(ə)r

1

a

plural : commercial, professional, public, or personal business

government affairs

arranged my affairs before leaving

b

: concern entry 2 sense 1, matter

not your affair at all

2

a

: event sense 1b, activity

a social affair

b

: product sense 2, thing

the house was a two-story affair

3

: a brief romantic relationship