association noun

1 an organization

ADJ. international, local, national, regional | private, public, voluntary | arts, business, community, constituency, consumer, football, housing, industry, library, neighbourhood, parent-teacher, professional, student, trade, etc.

ASSOCIATION + VERB meet The association meets four times a year. > Note at ORGANIZATION(for more verbs)

2 relationship between people/organizations

ADJ. close | free It was to be a free association of equal partners. | loose a loose association of sovereign states | long, long-standing | personal

VERB + ASSOCIATION form | maintain They have maintained a close association with a college in the US.

PREP. in ~ with (= together with) The book was published in association with British Heritage. | ~ between the association between the two countries | ~ with His association with such criminals can only destroy him.

PHRASES freedom of association One of the most important political freedoms is freedom of association.

3 connection between things

ADJ. clear, close, direct, intimate, strong a close association between the two nations | loose | early, long, traditional | formal | free the technique of free association in which the patient is encouraged to say the first thing that comes to mind

VERB + ASSOCIATION have The city has had a long association with the mining industry. | form You want the child to form an association between good behaviour and rewards. | demonstrate, find, prove, show The research showed an association between diet and various diseases.

PREP. by ~ Dogs learn mainly by association. | in ~ with (= together with) We are working in association with several charities. | ~ between a clear association between good health and regular exercise | ~ with the traditional association of the Democrats with minority interests

PHRASES guilty/tainted by association He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime.

4 associations: feelings/memories

ADJ. strong | happy, positive, pleasant | negative, unhappy, unpleasant | cultural, historical, literary Tourists visit the city for its historical associations.

VERB + ASSOCIATION have, hold Does the name ‘Baxter’ have any associations for you? | call up, evoke, spark off, trigger The smell of fresh bread triggers all kinds of associations for me.

PREP. ~ for

You can also check other dicts: association (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition

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