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Definitions

associate

[uh-soh-shee-eyt, -see-, uh-soh-shee-it, -eyt, -see-] / əˈsoʊ ʃiˌeɪt, -si-, əˈsoʊ ʃi ɪt, -ˌeɪt, -si- /
NOUN
colleague
Synonyms
STRONGEST
accomplice ally assistant buddy co-worker cohort collaborator companion comrade crony fellow friend partner
STRONG
accessory affiliate aid auxiliary branch chum compatriot confederate consort cooperator helper joiner mate offshoot pal peer playmate sidekick
WEAK
clubber kissing cousin one of the folks pard
Antonyms
STRONGEST
enemy foe opponent
WEAK
antagonist competitor rival stranger
VERB
connect in the mind
Synonyms
STRONGEST
combine correlate identify join link mix relate
STRONG
affiliate blend bracket concord conjoin couple group league pair unite yoke
WEAK
lump together think of together
Antonyms
STRONGEST
detach disconnect dissociate divide separate
STRONG
disjoin disperse
WEAK
avoid disassociate disunite divorce part sever
VERB
befriend
Synonyms
STRONGEST
accompany join mix
STRONG
amalgamate confederate consort fraternize hobnob mingle pool
WEAK
be friends be in cahoots buddy up bunch up come together gang up get in on get in with get into get together go along with go partners hang around hang out hang out with join up with line up with pal up play footsie with run around with run with string along with swing with take up with team up throw in together tie in tie up truck with work with
Antonyms
STRONGEST
divide leave separate withdraw
STRONG
disagree
WEAK
avoid disassociate disconnect disjoin dissociate disunite divorce part sever

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.

“If you had a tax on electricity, you would tax those companies that are distributing electricity, or you could tax the users of electricity,” says Pascual Restrepo, an associate professor of economics at Yale University.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Kwanghun Chung, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT, is also an author.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

“I see it more as a situation of unrequited love,” said Alvin Velazquez, an associate law professor at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law and an expert on Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy in 2017.

From Salon • May 6, 2026

"I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down," Comey wrote in a follow-up Instagram post.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

The plot was conceived by Middleton: after Lewis was killed, the plan was to use a female associate to impersonate her so that the friends could collect the headright payments.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Vocabulary lists containing associate

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

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50 Words from Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice"

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Workshop 1, Part 1

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