- [countable + singular or plural verb] (abbreviation Assoc., Assn. especially in North American English)an official group of people who have joined together for a particular purpose synonym organization
- Do you belong to any professional or trade associations?
- a residents’ association
- The association meets/meet four times a year.
Extra Examples- It was to be a free association of equal partners.
- a loose association of sovereign states
- a professional association for music teachers
- They held a number of events to raise money for the local community association.
- This report has been issued by the Association of Medical Research Charities.
- You should talk to your trade union or staff association.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- international
- local
- national
- …
- meet
- association for
- [countable, uncountable] a connection or relationship between people or organizations
- association with somebody/something They have maintained a close association with a college in the US.
- his alleged association with terrorist groups
- She became famous through her association with the group of poets.
- in association with The book was published in association with (= together with) English Heritage.
- The competition was organized in association with the Government's anti-drugs initiative.
- The letter was a clumsy attempt to establish guilt by association.
Extra Examples- His association with such criminals can only destroy him.
- One of the most important political freedoms is freedom of association.
- The city has had a long association with the mining industry.
- Tourists visit the city for its historical associations.
- He was questioned about his alleged association with terrorist groups.
- We are working in association with several NGOs.
- a close association between the two nations
- the traditional association of the Democrats with minority interests
- He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- close
- direct
- …
- have
- form
- demonstrate
- …
- by association
- in association with
- association between
- …
- guilty by association
- tainted by association
- [countable, usually plural] an idea or a memory that is suggested by somebody/something; a mental connection between ideas
- The seaside had all sorts of pleasant associations with childhood holidays for me.
- The cat soon made the association between human beings and food.
- Incense always had associations with religion for him.
Extra Examples- Dogs learn mainly by association.
- The smell of fresh bread triggers all kinds of associations for me.
- You want the child to form an association between good behaviour and rewards.
- the technique of free association in which the patient is encouraged to say the first thing that comes to mind
- The colour white was used due to its association with innocence and purity.
- There are notes on the literary and cultural associations of certain words.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- strong
- happy
- pleasant
- …
- have
- hold
- evoke
- …
- association for
- [countable, uncountable] a connection between things where one is caused by the other
- association between A and B Studies have shown strong associations between housing conditions and health.
- a proven association between passive smoking and cancer
- The study found a significant association between exposure to electromagnetic fields and the disease.
- in association with something cases of cancer found in association with colitis
Extra Examples- The research showed an association between diet and various diseases.
- a clear association between good health and regular exercise
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- clear
- close
- direct
- …
- have
- form
- demonstrate
- …
- by association
- in association with
- association between
- …
- guilty by association
- tainted by association
Word Originmid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘uniting in a common purpose’): from medieval Latin associatio(n-), from Latin associare ‘to unite, ally’, from ad- ‘to’ + socius ‘sharing, allied’.
Check pronunciation:
association