Definition of "associate" in English

adjective

1. Joined with another or others and having lower status.

   • The associate editor is someone who has some experience in editing but not sufficient experience to qualify for a senior post.

2. Having partial status or privileges.

   • He is an associate member of the club.

3. Following or accompanying; concomitant.

4. (biology, dated) Connected by habit or sympathy.

   • associate motions

noun

1. A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner or employee.

   • Allow me to introduce my business associates, Alice and Bob, who are senior VPs for ops and strategy, respectively.
   • Associates must wash hands before returning to work

2. Somebody with whom one works, coworker, colleague.

3. A companion; a comrade.

4. One that habitually accompanies or is associated with another; an attendant circumstance.

5. A member of an institution or society who is granted only partial status or privileges.

6. (algebra) One of a pair of elements of an integral domain (or a ring) such that the two elements are divisible by each other (or, equivalently, such that each one can be expressed as the product of the other with a unit).

verb

1. (intransitive) To join in or form a league, union, or association.

2. (intransitive) To spend time socially; keep company.

   • She associates with her coworkers on weekends.

3. (transitive, with with) To join as a partner, ally, or friend.

   • He associated his name with many environmental causes.

4. (transitive) To connect or join together; combine.

   • particles of gold associated with other substances

5. (transitive) To connect evidentially, or in the mind or imagination.

   • I always somehow associate Chatterton with autumn.

6. (reflexive, in deliberative bodies) To endorse.

7. (mathematics) To be associative.

8. (transitive, obsolete) To accompany; to be in the company of.