DictionaryAI

affair

noun
Sayuh-FAIR/əˈfɛɹ/UK/əˈfɛə/

Pluralaffairs

8 meanings of affair

Practice

  1. 1
    concernsnouncountableplural
    A piece of business or something that has to be done.

    How I spend my own money is my affair.

    He put his business affairs in order before he retired.

    UsageMy affair means my business, not yours. You will also see current affairs and foreign affairs.

    Similarmatter, concern

    Note
  2. 2
    secret romancenouncountable
    A usually secret romantic or sexual relationship in which at least one person already has another partner.

    He confessed to an affair while his wife was working overseas.

    Their affair ended once people at the office started to talk.

    UsageWe say have an affair with someone. A love affair can be any romantic relationship, not only a secret one.

    Note
  3. 3
    eventnouncountable
    A matter or event that someone talks about in a general way, without giving the details.

    Like saying 'that whole thing' when you don't want to explain it fully.

    The whole affair was over before anyone really understood what had happened.

    Moving to the new office turned out to be a messy affair.

    UsageUsually with a describing word: a messy affair, the whole affair. With a name, it can mean a notable incident or scandal.

    Similarevent, incident, occurrence, episode, happening

    Note
  4. 4
    nouncountable
    A party or social event, often a formal one.

    The wedding was a glamorous affair with hundreds of guests.

    Their anniversary dinner was a quiet affair at home.

    UsageUsually with a describing word: a quiet affair, a glamorous affair.

    Similarevent, occasion, function, party, gathering

  5. 5
    objectnouncountable
    An object that someone points to or mentions without naming it exactly.

    The machine was a strange affair of wires, gears, and blinking lights.

    He pulled out a little affair made of brass and glass.

    UsageUsually with describing words: a strange affair, an affair of rope and wood.

    Similarthing, contraption

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    secret lovernouncountable
    The person someone is having a love or sexual relationship with when one of them is married to someone else.

    His affair turned out to be a coworker from the downtown office.

    She introduced her affair to friends as merely an old acquaintance.

    UsageUsually my affair, his affair. You have an affair, but you meet or see your affair (the person).

    Similarlover, mistress

    Note
  2. 7
    small battlenouncountable
    A small fight between armed forces, smaller than a full battle.

    Like a brief scuffle that never grows into a real fight.

    Only a few soldiers were hurt in the small affair near the river.

    The border affair lasted barely an hour before both sides pulled back.

    Similarskirmish, engagement, action, clash

    Note
  3. 8
    nounarchaic
    An old slang word for the private parts of the body.
    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of affair apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Old French afaire, meaning 'situation', built from a- plus faire ('to do'), which goes back to Latin facere ('to do').

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 6 facts