affair

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Something which is done or is to be done

   Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.

   • a difficult affair to manage
   • Responsibility is my affair, reciprocity is his.
   • There are a number of issues external to the institution that can influence the fiscal management of student affairs.
2. 2

   Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely.

   • an affair of honor
   • an affair of love
   • The house was a ramshackle affair.
3. 3

   An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.

4. ›+ 6 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      A material object (vaguely designated).

      • He used a hook-shaped affair with a long handle to unlock the car.
      • This garden is a ramshackle affair.
      • She wore a starched white affair on her head, had a wart on one cheek, and silver-rimmed spectacles hung on the tip of her nose.
   2. 5

      An adulterous relationship, chiefly of a married person. (from affaire de cœur, affair of…

      An adulterous relationship, chiefly of a married person. (from affaire de cœur, affair of the heart).

      • When Martin's wife found out about his affair with her best friend, she asked for a divorce.
      • Mary had an affair with a woman from the gym.
      • Andrew Gudmund (from whom I am the seventh in descent) had an affair of the same kind. He also refused to have the child baptised[.]
   3. 6

      An otherwise illicit romantic relationship, such as with someone who is not one's regular…

      An otherwise illicit romantic relationship, such as with someone who is not one's regular partner (boyfriend, girlfriend).

      • Jerry's girlfriend said she wanted to go steady, but she was in an affair with one of his team-mates.
   4. 7

      A person with whom someone has an adulterous relationship.

      • I was his affair and he was a little boy toy to me... Together it was our little scandal.
      • Turns out she's married; he was her affair.
      • Even though my husband forgave me and gave me another chance, I still continue to see my affair.
   5. 8

      A party or social gathering, especially of a formal nature.

   6. 9

      The (male or female) genitals.

The neighborhood

• neighborliaison