associate

associate — verb

1. to link one person, thing, or idea with another in your thoughts, so that thinki

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to link one person, thing, or idea with another in your thoughts, so that thinking of one brings the other to mind.

Example

Most Taiwanese people associate Tainan with great street food.

associate X with Y pattern

The smell of pine trees always makes Hannah associate winter with her grandfather's cabin.

Common collocations
  • closely associate
  • strongly associate
  • commonly associate
  • wrongly associate
  • associate with quality
  • associate with danger
Synonyms
  • connect

    more general; can describe physical or logical links, not just mental ones

  • link

    neutral and very common; suggests a clear, often factual relationship

  • relate

    often used for cause-and-effect or topical connection rather than a memory trigger

Antonyms
  • dissociate

    to deliberately break a mental link, often to distance yourself from something

Grammar Patterns

associate someone/something with someone/something

be associated with

Usage Note

Almost always paired with the preposition 'with'. Frequently appears in the passive ('be associated with') when describing a widely held link, rather than one person's private thought.

Common Mistakes

I associate this song to my high school days.
I associate this song with my high school days.
the preposition is 'with', not 'to'.
These symptoms associate with the flu.
These symptoms are associated with the flu.
when describing a known link, use the passive form.

2. to regularly spend social time with a particular person or group, often a group

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to regularly spend social time with a particular person or group, often a group that other people view negatively.

Example

Mrs Lin warned her son not to associate with the older boys behind the temple.

associate with + people the speaker disapproves of

After his promotion, Daniel mostly associated with senior partners at the firm.

Common collocations
  • associate with criminals
  • refuse to associate
  • associate with the wrong crowd
Synonyms
  • mix with

    more neutral and common in everyday speech

  • fraternise

    very formal; often used about contact between groups that should stay apart

  • hang out with

    informal; warm and friendly, no negative tone

Antonyms
  • avoid

    to deliberately stay away from someone

  • shun

Grammar Patterns

associate with somebody

Usage Note

Distinct from sense 1 by being intransitive and taking a person, not a thing, after 'with'. Carries a slightly disapproving tone — neutral 'spend time with' or 'hang out with' is preferred when the relationship is positive.

Common Mistakes

I associate my best friends every weekend.
I spend time with my best friends every weekend.
'associate' here is intransitive and slightly negative; for warm friendships, use 'spend time with' or 'hang out with'.

associate — noun

associate — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe putting two ideas or things together, but they differ in what kind of join they suggest. 'Associate' is the most mental and personal — it points to a thought-level link triggered by memory, habit, or culture, as in 'I associate that song with my school days.' 'Connect' is the broadest: it works for physical wires, abstract ideas, and emotional bonds alike. 'Link' is similar to 'connect' but tends to feel more deliberate or evidence-based, common in news writing — 'investigators linked the email to the suspect.' 'Relate' usually concerns how two facts or topics influence each other ('these symptoms relate to stress'), rather than a private memory trigger. Quick test: if you can replace the verb with 'makes me think of', 'associate' is your word; if not, try 'connect' or 'link'.

associate ↗connect ↗link ↗relate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • business associate
  • close associate
  • associate professor
  • associate editor
  • associate director
  • associate's degree

Adverbs

Phrases

  • associate with the wrong crowd
  • long associated with
  • former close associate

Prepositions

  • with
  • in (a field)
  • of (an organisation)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

Comes from Latin 'associare', built from 'ad-' meaning 'to' and 'sociare' meaning 'to join or share', which itself goes back to 'socius' meaning 'companion' — the same root behind 'social' and 'society'. The word entered English in the late 1300s through Old French, first as a verb meaning 'to join with' and soon after as a noun for a person joined to another in work or friendship. The modern meaning 'to link in the mind' grew naturally from the original idea of joining things together.