affair

affair — noun

1. a particular topic, problem, or situation that someone is thinking about, workin

1.nounB2
Definition

a particular topic, problem, or situation that someone is thinking about, working on, or has to handle.

Example

The minister called the strike a serious affair that needed quick action.

adjective + affair (serious / urgent / private)

Maria told her brother that her divorce was her own affair.

possessive + own + affair (= someone's responsibility)

Common collocations
  • a private affair
  • a family affair
  • a personal affair
  • deal with the affair
  • settle the affair
Synonyms
  • matter

    more neutral and far more frequent in everyday speech

  • issue

    suggests something debated or causing concern

  • business

    stresses that something belongs to a particular person to handle

Grammar Patterns

affair + of + noun

the + adjective + affair

Usage Note

Often paired with an adjective that classifies the matter (private, family, local, personal, internal, simple, complicated). Distinguish from sense 2: here the matter is neutral; in sense 2 it carries scandal or strong public reaction.

Common Mistakes

It is none of your affair.
It is none of your business.
'business' is the fixed phrase; with 'affair' say 'it is not your affair' or 'mind your own affairs'.
I have many affair to do today.
I have many affairs to deal with today.
'affair' is countable, so use plural and a verb like 'deal with' or 'sort out'.

2. a public event or series of actions, often involving wrongdoing by people in pow

2.nounB2
Definition

a public event or series of actions, often involving wrongdoing by people in power, that shocks or angers many people.

Example

The Watergate affair forced President Nixon to leave office in 1974.

the + proper-noun + affair (named scandal)

Reporters in Taipei kept digging until the bribery affair reached the front page.

noun + affair (bribery / spying / corruption)

Common collocations
  • the whole affair
  • the entire affair
  • a corruption affair
  • a spy affair
  • investigate the affair
Synonyms
  • scandal

    stronger and more direct; focuses on moral outrage

  • controversy

    stresses public disagreement rather than wrongdoing

  • case

    more neutral; common in legal or media contexts

Grammar Patterns

the + proper-noun + affair

Usage Note

Usually preceded by 'the' plus a name or topic (the Dreyfus affair, the doping affair). Often appears with verbs of investigation and reaction: 'investigate', 'cover up', 'expose', 'be rocked by'.

Common Mistakes

There was an affair in the company last year.
There was a scandal in the company last year.
without a clear name or descriptor, 'scandal' sounds more natural; 'affair' usually needs a label like 'the bribery affair'.

3. a romantic or sexual connection, often kept secret, between two people when at l

3.nounB2
Definition

a romantic or sexual connection, often kept secret, between two people when at least one of them is already married to or partnered with someone else.

Example

Daniel ended his marriage after his wife discovered the affair with her colleague.

discover / end / confess + an affair

Sophie had a brief affair with a photographer she met in Paris.

have + a + adj + affair (with someone)

Common collocations
  • have an affair
  • a secret affair
  • a brief affair
  • a love affair
  • an extramarital affair
Synonyms
  • liaison

    more formal and discreet; often used in journalism

  • fling

    informal; emphasises shortness and lack of commitment

  • romance

    more positive; not necessarily secret or wrong

Antonyms
  • marriage

    official, public partnership rather than a hidden one

Grammar Patterns

have an affair (with someone)

Usage Note

Almost always implies secrecy, infidelity, or short duration. Use 'have an affair (with)' for the verb pattern. The compound 'love affair' can also describe a strong but temporary enthusiasm for something non-human (e.g. 'her love affair with jazz').

Common Mistakes

My boyfriend and I have been having an affair for two years.
My boyfriend and I have been in a relationship for two years.
'have an affair' suggests cheating on a partner; use 'relationship' for an open, normal couple.

4. an organised social occasion or gathering, usually labelled by an adjective such

4.nounB2
Definition

an organised social occasion or gathering, usually labelled by an adjective such as elegant, quiet, glamorous, or dull.

Example

The wedding was a small affair held in a garden behind the church.

a small / quiet / grand affair (describing an event)

Mrs. Chen hosts a charity dinner every spring; it is always a glamorous affair.

a glamorous / formal affair

Common collocations
  • a grand affair
  • a small affair
  • a formal affair
  • a low-key affair
  • a glittering affair
Synonyms
  • occasion

    more neutral and slightly more formal

  • event

    broader; covers any planned happening, not only social ones

  • function

    stresses an organised, often official gathering

Grammar Patterns

a + adjective + affair

Usage Note

Almost always takes a descriptive adjective immediately before it (small, grand, formal, casual, low-key, glamorous, dull). Without that adjective, 'affair' rarely means 'social event'.

Common Mistakes

I went to an affair last night.
I went to a dinner / party last night.
without a describing adjective, 'an affair' on its own does not clearly mean a social event.

5. an object of an unusual or hard-to-describe kind, named loosely by its appearanc

5.nounC1
Definition

an object of an unusual or hard-to-describe kind, named loosely by its appearance or how it works.

Example

Her hat was an enormous affair covered in feathers and silk roses.

a + adj + affair (loose label for an object)

Grandfather pulled out a strange wooden affair that looked half radio, half clock.

a strange / odd / curious affair

Common collocations
  • a strange affair
  • an enormous affair
  • a wooden affair
  • a flimsy affair
Synonyms
  • thing

    much more neutral and far more common in this loose sense

  • contraption

    informal; suggests a complicated, odd-looking machine

  • gadget

    informal; usually a small useful device

Grammar Patterns

a + adjective + affair (= object)

Usage Note

Informal and slightly humorous. The speaker uses 'affair' because they cannot or do not want to give the object a precise name. Almost always preceded by an adjective that describes size, material, or appearance.

Common Mistakes

I bought an affair for the kitchen.
I bought a strange little affair for the kitchen.
this sense needs a descriptive adjective; bare 'an affair' will be misread as a scandal or a relationship.
Idioms

a state of affairs

idiom

the way things stand at a particular moment, especially when it is unsatisfactory or worrying.

Rising rents and falling wages have created a worrying state of affairs for young workers in Taipei.

The headmaster admitted that bullying in the school was an unacceptable state of affairs.

current affairs

idiom

important political, economic, or social events that are happening in the world right now and are reported in the news.

Mr. Yamada watches the news every evening to keep up with current affairs.

The university offers a course on current affairs in East Asia.

foreign affairs

idiom

matters that involve a country's relations and dealings with other countries, especially as managed by its government.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs flew to Tokyo for emergency talks.

Trade and immigration both fall under the department of foreign affairs.

Word family

  • affairs
    noun (plural)B2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words can refer to something that someone has to think about or deal with, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Matter' is the most neutral and the most common in everyday speech: 'It's a serious matter.' 'Issue' suggests something that is debated, controversial, or causes concern: 'climate is a global issue.' 'Business' stresses ownership — that the matter belongs to one particular person or group to handle: 'who I marry is my own business.' 'Affair' sits between 'matter' and 'business'; it often takes a classifying adjective (private affair, family affair, local affair) and feels slightly more formal, suggesting a defined situation rather than a vague topic. So you can say 'a family matter' or 'a family affair' almost interchangeably, but 'a global issue' (not 'a global affair') and 'mind your own business' (not 'mind your own affair').

affair ↗matter ↗issue ↗business ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • family affairs
  • business affairs
  • world affairs
  • love affair
  • state of affairs

Phrases

Prepositions

  • affair of
  • affair with
  • affair between

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Affair' came into English in the 1300s from Old French 'afaire', literally 'to do', formed from the phrase 'à faire' meaning 'to be done' or 'something needing action'. The original sense was simply 'something one has to attend to', and from that root grew the modern meanings: any matter at hand (sense 1), public scandals named after them (sense 2), and, from the late 1700s in French and English, a discreet romantic relationship (sense 3). The vague 'object' sense developed in informal speech in the 1800s.