| noun | a formal organization of people or groups of people “he joined the Modern Language Association” |
| noun | the act of consorting with or joining with others “you cannot be convicted of criminal guilt by association” |
| noun | the state of being connected together as in memory or imagination “his association of his father with being beaten was too strong to break” |
| noun | the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination “conditioning is a form of learning by association” |
| noun | a social or business relationship “a valuable financial affiliation” |
| noun | a relation resulting from interaction or dependence “flints were found in association with the prehistoric remains of the bear” |
| noun | (chemistry) any process of combination (especially in solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding |
| noun | (ecology) a group of organisms (plants and animals) that live together in a certain geographical region and constitute a community with a few dominant species |
| associate | verb | keep company with; hang out with |
| connect | verb | make a logical or causal connection |
| affiliate | verb | join in an affiliation |
| tie | verb | create social or emotional ties |