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Synonyms

association

American  
[uh-soh-see-ey-shuhn, -shee-] / əˌsoʊ siˈeɪ ʃən, -ʃi- /

noun

  1. an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure.

    Synonyms:
    band, company, society, union, alliance
  2. the act of associating or state of being associated.

  3. friendship; companionship.

    Their close association did not last long.

    Synonyms:
    fellowship
  4. connection or combination.

  5. the connection or relation of ideas, feelings, sensations, etc.; correlation of elements of perception, reasoning, or the like.

  6. an idea, image, feeling, etc., suggested by or connected with something other than itself; an accompanying thought, emotion, or the like; an overtone or connotation.

    My associations with that painting are of springlike days.

  7. Ecology. a group of plants of one or more species living together under uniform environmental conditions and having a uniform and distinctive aspect.

  8. Chemistry. a weak form of chemical bonding involving aggregation of molecules of the same compound.

  9. touch football.

  10. Astronomy. stellar association.


association British  
/ əˌsəʊsɪˈeɪʃən, -ʃɪ- /

noun

  1. a group of people having a common purpose or interest; a society or club

  2. the act of associating or the state of being associated

  3. friendship or companionship

    their association will not last

  4. a mental connection of ideas, feelings, or sensations

    association of revolution with bloodshed

  5. psychol the mental process of linking ideas so that the recurrence of one idea automatically recalls the other See also free association

  6. chem the formation of groups of molecules and ions, esp in liquids, held together by weak chemical bonds

  7. ecology a group of similar plants that grow in a uniform environment and contain one or more dominant species

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

association Scientific  
/ ə-sō′sē-āshən,-shē- /
  1. A large number of organisms in a specific geographic area constituting a community with one or two dominant species.


Other Word Forms

  • associational adjective
  • interassociation noun
  • nonassociation noun
  • nonassociational adjective
  • proassociation adjective
  • pseudoassociational adjective
  • reassociation noun
  • subassociation noun
  • subassociational adjective

Etymology

Origin of association

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French, from Medieval Latin associātiōn-, stem of associātiō “accompaniment, unification”; equivalent to associate + -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

U.S. bond markets are expected to close early — at noon — on Good Friday, as per the recommendations set forth by SIFMA, the industry trade association.

From MarketWatch

“It was this association that I could never shake,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

That association is one thing weighing on bank stocks, which have underperformed the broader market.

From The Wall Street Journal

In contrast to Kennedy’s declaration in January that the U.S. was “ending the war on saturated fat,” the heart association continues to recommend unsaturated fat sources over saturated ones for the sake of cardiovascular health.

From Los Angeles Times

Northern Ireland supporters, meanwhile, had been offered refunds by their association, who sensed the lack of appetite, even if their defeat in Italy had been less of a sickener.

From BBC