Associate
/əˈsəʊ.si.eɪt/ verb/noun/adjective Base: associate | Past: associated | Past Participle: associated | -ing: associating | 3rd person: associates
Definition
1. To connect or link one thing with another in your mind.
2. A person you work with or are connected to professionally.
2. A person you work with or are connected to professionally.
Context Alive
Every time you smell freshly baked bread, your mind instantly goes back to Sunday mornings at your grandmother's house — the warm kitchen, the radio playing softly, the flour on her apron. You associate that smell with comfort and safety without even thinking about it. It's amazing how the brain works — a single scent, sound, or image can be so tightly associated with a memory that one triggers the other automatically, even decades later.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Connect Things in Your Mind (Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about linking two things together mentally — seeing a natural connection between them. Imagine someone who grew up by the sea — they associate the sound of waves with relaxation and happiness because of childhood memories. This is a mental link between ideas, feelings, or experiences. You might say "most people associate red with danger" about a widely shared mental connection, or someone could say "I associate that song with my university years" because hearing it triggers old memories. Or think about how brands work — seeing golden arches makes you associate the image with fast food without reading a single word. The word suggests an automatic or learned connection between two things.
Vivid ExampleFor years after the breakup, she couldn't walk past the Italian restaurant on the corner without feeling a pang of sadness — she associated the place so strongly with their anniversary dinners that even the smell of garlic bread from the open door made her chest tighten. Eventually she forced herself to go in with a friend, order the same pasta, and create a new memory. It worked, mostly.
2 A Professional Colleague or Partner (Noun/Adjective) Common ▼
This meaning is about a person you work with or are professionally connected to — not a close friend, but a business contact or colleague. Imagine a lawyer introducing someone at a networking event: "This is Sarah, one of my associates at the firm." This is a professional relationship. You might say "I'll check with my associates and get back to you" about consulting business partners, or someone could say "she was a former associate of the company's founder" about a past professional connection. Or picture a business card that reads "Associate Director" — a title slightly below director level. The word suggests a professional relationship rather than personal friendship.
Vivid ExampleAt the conference, James introduced her as "a close associate" — which she found slightly strange, since they'd worked together for six years and she considered him a friend. But in a room full of executives and investors, "associate" was the professional word that carried the right amount of respect. She returned the favour by introducing him to the keynote speaker, which turned out to be worth more than any title.
Examples from the Street
I always associate rainy weather with hot chocolate and old films — it's my comfort combo.
They mentally connect rainy days with cosy activities from habit or memory.
She was identified as a known associate of the suspect and brought in for questioning.
She was known to have a connection with the suspect, so police wanted to speak to her.
The brand has always been associated with luxury and exclusivity.
People mentally link the brand with high-end, premium products.
Common Patterns
associate something with something → to connect two things mentally
be associated with → to be linked or connected to — "stress is associated with heart disease"
closely / commonly associated → strongly or widely linked together
business associate → a professional contact or partner
associate professor / director / editor → a title one level below the main position
associate + A + with + B → "I associate summer with freedom" — making a mental connection
be associated with + noun → passive — "the colour red is associated with danger"
an associate of + person / company → a colleague or professional connection
Collocations
4 collocationsclosely associated with
strongly connected to something
associate with
spend time with or be linked to
business associate
a person you work with professionally
associate a word with
mentally connect a word to a meaning
Example Sentences
12 examples
1
Most people associate Japan with sushi, cherry blossoms, and bullet trains.
Çoğu insan Japonya'yı suşi, kiraz çiçekleri ve hızlı trenlerle ilişkilendirir.
2
She didn't want to be associated with the project after it went wrong.
Proje ters gittikten sonra onunla ilişkilendirilmek istemedi.
3
He's a business associate of mine — we've worked together on several deals.
İş ortağım — birkaç anlaşmada birlikte çalıştık.
4
Smoking is strongly associated with lung cancer and heart disease.
Sigara, akciğer kanseri ve kalp hastalığıyla güçlü bir şekilde ilişkilidir.
5
I associate that perfume with my mother — she wore it every day.
O parfümü annemle ilişkilendiriyorum — her gün sürerdi.
6
She was promoted from associate professor to full professor last year.
Geçen yıl doçentlikten profesörlüğe terfi etti.
7
The police questioned several of his known associates but couldn't find any leads.
Polis bilinen birkaç tanıdığını sorguladı ama herhangi bir ipucu bulamadı.
8
Bright colours are often associated with energy and positivity in marketing.
Parlak renkler pazarlamada sıklıkla enerji ve pozitiflikle ilişkilendirilir.
9
He doesn't want to associate with people who don't share his values.
Değerlerini paylaşmayan insanlarla ilişki kurmak istemiyor.
10
The restaurant has always been associated with quality — that's why people keep coming back.
Restoran her zaman kaliteyle ilişkilendirilmiştir — insanların tekrar tekrar gelmesinin nedeni de bu.
Learner Examples
★
The teacher asked students to write down three words they associate with the word "freedom" and then share their answers with the class.
Öğretmen öğrencilerden "freedom" kelimesiyle ilişkilendirdikleri üç kelimeyi yazmalarını ve ardından cevaplarını sınıfla paylaşmalarını istedi.
★
During the vocabulary game, students had to guess which image was associated with each new word, which helped them remember meanings more easily.
Kelime oyunu sırasında öğrenciler her yeni kelimeyle hangi görselin ilişkili olduğunu tahmin etmek zorundaydı, bu da anlamları daha kolay hatırlamalarına yardımcı oldu.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
2 items
Phrasal Verbsassociate with — connect or spend time with
People tend to associate rainy weather with feeling sad.
Idioms & Expressionsguilty by association — blamed for others' actions nearby
He wasn't involved, but he was judged guilty by association.
Synonyms & Antonyms
7 items
Synonymsconnect
linking ideas or things
link
seeing a relationship between
relate
finding a connection
colleague
a work partner (noun)
Antonymsseparate
keeping things apart
disconnect
breaking a link
stranger
someone you don't know (noun)