associates

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of associate.

   She trusts her closest associates with every major decision.

   The senator's associates gathered outside for the announcement.

   Note

   One spelling, two words: this noun plural and the present-tense verb look identical, so the surrounding words decide. In "her associates" it means people, and in "she associates" it names an action. The plural carries every sense of the noun: partners and colleagues, companions, members admitted with only partial privileges, and, in algebra, pairs of ring elements that each divide the other.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of associate.

   She associates the smell of pine with winter holidays.

   He rarely associates with his old coworkers anymore.

   Note

   Three constructions hang on this ending, and the preposition with runs through all of them. Used without an object, it means keeping company (he associates with old friends). With an object, it links two things in the mind (she associates pine with winter). With a reflexive pronoun, it means endorsement (the party associates itself with the plan). That last use is the one learners most often miss.

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