association

association — noun

1. an officially formed body that brings members together so they can pursue a shar

1.nounB2
Definition

an officially formed body that brings members together so they can pursue a shared aim, hobby, or professional interest.

Example

The Taiwan Tea Farmers Association meets every March in Nantou.

[Proper noun] Association as institutional name

Una joined the local residents' association to push for safer streets.

join + association for civic involvement

Common collocations
  • trade association
  • professional association
  • residents' association
  • alumni association
  • founding member of an association
Synonyms
  • society

    more old-fashioned; common for hobby or learned groups (e.g. royal society)

  • organization

    broader umbrella term; not necessarily member-based

  • federation

    implies several smaller groups joined under one banner

  • league

    common for sports or political alliances of clubs/states

Grammar Patterns

association of + plural noun

association for + noun

Usage Note

Frequently capitalized when part of a proper name (the American Bar Association). Often shortened to its initials in everyday speech, such as PTA or FA.

Common Mistakes

I am in the chess association of my school' (vague preposition).
I belong to the chess association at my school.
use 'belong to' or 'be a member of', not 'be in'.

2. an idea, feeling, or memory that pops into your head when you see, hear, or thin

2.nounB2
Definition

an idea, feeling, or memory that pops into your head when you see, hear, or think of something — for example, smelling pine and instantly picturing a childhood Christmas.

Example

For Vesna, the smell of jasmine has strong associations with her grandmother's garden.

have associations with + place/person

The word 'snake' carries negative associations for many people.

negative/positive associations + for + person

Common collocations
  • positive associations
  • negative associations
  • cultural associations
  • strong associations
  • trigger an association
Synonyms
  • connotation

    the feeling or idea a word suggests beyond its literal meaning

  • memory

    more concrete recollection of a past event, not the trigger-link itself

  • overtones

    subtle suggestions, often slightly negative or unspoken

Grammar Patterns

association with + noun

association between + noun + and + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 3: this sense lives in the mind (a smell, word, or image makes you remember or feel something), while sense 3 is about real-world contact between people or groups. Often plural when listing several memories or feelings.

Common Mistakes

This song has association to my childhood' (wrong preposition + singular).
This song has associations with my childhood.
use plural 'associations' + 'with' for memory links.

3. the situation of mixing with, working alongside, or being publicly linked to a p

3.nounC1
Definition

the situation of mixing with, working alongside, or being publicly linked to a particular person or group, especially when others judge that link.

Example

The mayor was criticised for his close association with two arms dealers.

close association with + person (negative)

The festival is held in association with the city library every June.

in association with + organization (collaboration)

Common collocations
  • close association
  • long association
  • in association with
  • association with criminals
  • sever an association
Synonyms
  • relationship

    neutral and broader; covers personal, business, or romantic links

  • connection

    highlights the link itself; often used when concealing the depth of contact

  • involvement

    stresses active participation, not just being linked

  • affiliation

    more formal; often used for membership-style links to a party or institution

Antonyms
  • dissociation

    the deliberate act of cutting ties to distance oneself

Grammar Patterns

association with + person/group

in association with + organization

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'in association with', meaning two parties cooperate on something (often credited on posters and event programmes). Standalone uses often carry a moral overtone — either prestigious (long association with Harvard) or suspect (association with criminals).

Common Mistakes

He has an association to that gang' (wrong preposition).
He has an association with that gang.
always pair this sense with 'with', never 'to'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name a body of people gathered for a shared purpose, but the flavour differs. An 'association' suggests a formally registered group whose members share a profession or cause (e.g. a bar association, a residents' association). A 'society' has a slightly older, more academic or hobbyist tone — think of a literary society or the Royal Society. 'Organization' is the broadest umbrella and need not be member-based; a charity or a company is an organization but not necessarily an association. A 'federation' implies that several smaller bodies have joined under a single banner — a federation of trade unions is itself made up of many unions. A 'club' is the most casual of all, focused on social activity rather than civic or professional aims; you might join a tennis club for fun, but a tennis association sets the rules of the sport.

association ↗society ↗organization ↗federation ↗club ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • trade association
  • professional association
  • residents' association
  • alumni association
  • football association

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in association with
  • have an association with
  • form an association
  • free association of ideas
  • by association

Prepositions

  • association with
  • association between
  • association of
  • in association with

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinMiddle FrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the early 1500s from the medieval Latin 'associationem', the noun form of the verb 'associare' (to join, unite, or pair up), built from 'ad-' (to, towards) plus 'sociare' (to join), which itself comes from 'socius' (companion, partner — also the root of 'social' and 'society'). The earliest English uses described the act of joining or partnering with someone; the meaning 'an organized body of members' grew during the 1600s as guilds and learned bodies multiplied, and the 'mental connection between ideas' sense became fixed in the 1700s through philosophers writing about how the mind links sensations.