(associations)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
An association is an official group of people who have the same job, aim, or interest.
...the British Olympic Association...
Research associations are often linked to a particular industry.
N-COUNT: oft in names
2.
Your association with a person or a thing such as an organization is the connection that you have with them.
...the company's six-year association with retailer J.C. Penney Co...
= affiliation
N-COUNT: usu N with n
3.
If something has particular associations for you, it is connected in your mind with a particular memory, idea, or feeling.
He has a shelf full of things, each of which has associations for him...
N-COUNT: usu pl
4.
If you do something in association with someone else, you do it together.
PHRASE: PHR n