- affairs[plural] events that are of public interest or political importance
- world/international affairs
- an expert on foreign affairs (= political events in other countries)
- We are expecting a statement from the home affairs (= political events in your own country) spokesman.
- internal/external affairs
- affairs of state
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- current
- public
- human
- …
- administer
- arrange
- attend to
- …
- affairs of state
- a state of affairs
- [countable, usually singular] an event that people are talking about or describing in a particular way
- The newspapers exaggerated the whole affair wildly.
- She wanted the celebration to be a simple family affair.
- Many people have criticized the way the government handled the affair.
- The Whitewater affair was the biggest scandal of the decade.
Extra Examples- The debate was a pretty disappointing affair.
- I ended up disillusioned and bitter about the whole affair.
- I knew that the wedding would be a grand affair.
- He has tried to play down his involvement in the affair.
- She saw the whole affair as a great joke.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- whole
- glittering
- grand
- …
- deal with
- handle
- be involved in
- …
- somebody’s involvement in the affair
- wash your hands of the affair
- [countable] a sexual relationship between two people, usually when one or both of them are already in a relationship with somebody else
- She was having an affair with a co-worker.
- an extramarital affair
- It's the story of a secret affair between a married teacher and her teenage student.
Wordfinder- affair
- date
- go out with somebody
- jealous
- love
- marriage
- partner
- passionate
- relationship
- romantic
Extra ExamplesTopics Family and relationshipsb2- They had a passionate affair for six months.
- Their affair did not develop into a lasting relationship.
- an affair with a married man
- a torrid love affair
- How long has the affair been going on?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- brief
- casual
- clandestine
- …
- carry on
- conduct
- have
- …
- go on
- affair between
- affair with
- affairs[plural] matters connected with a person’s private business and financial situation
- She manages the family's financial affairs.
- I looked after my father's financial affairs.
- She wanted to put her affairs in order before she died.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- current
- public
- human
- …
- administer
- arrange
- attend to
- …
- affairs of state
- a state of affairs
- [singular] a thing that somebody is responsible for (and that other people should not be interested in) synonym business
- How I spend my money is my affair.
Extra Examples- The details of your relationship should be a private affair.
- That's no affair of yours.
- It's a family affair.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- family
- somebody’s own
- personal
- …
- interfere in
- meddle in
- somebody’s affair
- no affair of somebody’s
- [countable] (with an adjective) (old-fashioned) an object that is unusual or difficult to describe
- Her hat was an amazing affair with feathers and a huge brim.
public/political activities
event
relationship
private business
object
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French afaire, from à faire ‘to do’; compare with ado.
Idioms
See affair in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee affair in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englisha state of affairs
- a situation
- This state of affairs can no longer be ignored.
Check pronunciation:
affair