associate meaning

associate means 'to connect or link things or people together'.

associate :

connected, linked

adjective

▪ He is an associate member of the club.

▪ He is a linked member of the club.

▪ She is an associate editor at the magazine.

▪ She is a connected editor at the magazine.

paraphrasing

▪ related – connected

▪ affiliated – linked

▪ attached – joined

▪ connected – linked

associate

associate :

partner, colleague

noun

▪ He is my business associate.

▪ He is my business partner.

▪ She is an associate at the law firm.

▪ She is a colleague at the law firm.

paraphrasing

▪ partner – associate

▪ colleague – co-worker

▪ ally – friend

▪ collaborator – partner

associate :

to connect, to link

verb

▪ I associate summer with the beach.

▪ I connect summer with the beach.

▪ She associates chocolate with happiness.

▪ She links chocolate with happiness.

paraphrasing

▪ connect – link

▪ relate – link

▪ link – join

▪ unite – join

Pronunciation

associate [əˈsoʊ.si.eɪt] (verb)

The stress is on 'so' and sounds like 'uh-soh-see-ate'.

associate [əˈsoʊ.si.ət] (noun, adjective)

The stress is on 'so' and sounds like 'uh-soh-see-it'.

Common phrases and grammar about associate

associate - Common meaning

adjective
connected, linked
noun
partner, colleague
verb
to connect, to link

Part of Speech Changes for "associate"

▪ association (noun) – a group or connection

▪ associative (adjective) – related to connecting

Common Expressions with "associate"

▪ associate with – connect with

▪ associate member – linked member

▪ business associate – business partner

▪ associate degree – a type of college degree

Important examples of associate in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, associate often means to link ideas or people.

▪People often associate this brand with quality.
▪People often link this brand with quality.

Example of a confusing word: assign (to allocate)

▪People often assign this brand with quality.
▪People often allocate this brand with quality.
"Associate" means "to link" or "connect" one thing with another, as in "associate this brand with quality." It is typically used in the structure "associate + noun + with + noun." "Assign," however, means "to allocate" or "designate" something to someone, and it usually takes a structure like "assign + task + to + person." Using "assign" in this context is grammatically incorrect because it suggests giving a task rather than making a connection. Therefore, "associate" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

As a verb, associate is used with 'with' to show a connection in TOEIC grammar questions.

▪She associates happiness with family.
▪She links happiness with family.

associate

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

associate with

'to connect with', used in business or social contexts.

▪He is often associated with the project.
▪He is often connected with the project.

associate oneself with

means 'to connect oneself with something or someone'.

▪She does not associate herself with that group.
▪She does not connect herself with that group.

Differences between similar words and associate

associate

,

connect

differences

Associate is often used for mental or social links, while connect is used for physical or logical links.

associate
▪I associate rain with sadness.
▪I link rain with sadness.
connect
▪The wires connect to the battery.
▪The wires join to the battery.

associate

,

partner

differences

Associate can mean a colleague or partner, while partner implies a closer or more formal relationship.

associate
▪He is my associate in the project.
▪She is my business colleague.
partner
▪She is my business partner.
▪She is my business colleague.

Words with the same origin as associate

The origin of associate

associate comes from the Latin 'associatus', meaning 'joined with'.

Word structure

It has the prefix as (to), root soci (companion), and suffix ate (verb), so associate means 'to join with a companion'.

Words with the same origin

The root of associate is soci (companion). Words with the same root include social (relating to society), society (a group of people), sociology (the study of society).

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