affiliate
gb/əfˈɪliɪt/ us/əfˈɪliɪt/
B2
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B2
action
1
To officially join a group
To join or become connected with a larger group or organization.
Usage pattern:
to affiliate [someone/something] with [group/organization]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'affiliate' with 'associate' without realizing 'affiliate' usually implies an official or formal connection.
Synonyms
associate (Slightly broader; can imply informal connection, not just official membership.)
Antonyms
separate (Means to remove or keep apart from an organization.)
Collocations
affiliate with a club
|affiliate with an association
|affiliate with a university
|affiliate with a network
Themes
business
|organizations
|law
|work
|relationships
Examples
- The local sports team decided to affiliate with a national league.
- Several independent bloggers chose to affiliate with the media network.
- The clinic is affiliated with the city's main hospital.
- She affiliated herself with the environmental movement.
- The company affiliated its new branch with the regional chamber of commerce.
Learner examples
- I want to affiliate with the student group.
- The school will affiliate with a larger network.
- He is affiliated with a big company.
- They will affiliate their club with the sports league.
Noun
B2
entity
2
Organization linked to another
A person or group that is part of a bigger organization.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'affiliate' (noun) with 'branch' or 'subsidiary', though 'affiliate' can imply more independence than 'subsidiary'.
Synonyms
branch (Implies a direct part of the main organization, often physically located elsewhere.)
Antonyms
competitor (An organization in the same field but not connected in any way.)
Collocations
company affiliate
|foreign affiliate
|regional affiliate
|local affiliate
Themes
business
|organizations
|work
Examples
- The TV station is an affiliate of a major national network.
- Our company has several affiliates in Europe.
- The charity works with international affiliates to reach more people.
- Many local affiliates attended the annual conference.
- The firm’s foreign affiliates operate under different brand names.
Learner examples
- That store is an affiliate of the big chain.
- The school has many affiliates in other cities.
- A new affiliate opened in our town.
- The TV channel is an affiliate of a big network.
Verb
technical
C1
action
3
Formally connect things
To make something officially part of another thing, like a program or company.
Usage pattern:
to affiliate [something] to/with [something else]
Synonyms
link (A more general term that can be formal or informal.)
Antonyms
detach (Means to remove an official connection between things.)
Collocations
affiliate a program with a university
|affiliate an office to headquarters
Themes
business
|law
|work
Examples
- The research center is affiliated to the university's medical school.
- The new office was affiliated with the company's headquarters.
- They affiliated the project with an established NGO.
Learner examples
- The lab is affiliated to the big hospital.
- We will affiliate this event with the city festival.
- They affiliated their branch with the main office.
Grammar
Dictionary form
affiliate
IPA
GB/əfˈɪliɪt/
US/əfˈɪliɪt/
Syllables & stress
af - fil - i - ate (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (fil)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: affiliate
- Plural: affiliates
Verb
- Base: affiliate
- 3rd Person Singular: affiliates
- Present Participle: affiliating
- Past: affiliated
Word family
Forms
affiliates
noun
affiliating
verb
affiliated
verb
Core family
affiliation
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unaffiliated
adjective
Advanced or less common
affiliative
adjective
Expressions
affiliate marketing
1/əfˈɪliɪt mˈɑɹkɪtɪŋ/
fixed phrase
technical
Marketing by earning commission for referrals
A way of selling things where you earn money if people buy through your link.
Examples
- She makes most of her income through affiliate marketing on her blog.
- Affiliate marketing can be a low-cost way for companies to sell products.
affiliate program
1/əfˈɪliɪt pɹˈoʊɡɹˌæm/
fixed phrase
technical
System for paying affiliates for sales
A company plan where people get money for selling their products online.
Examples
- They joined the retailer's affiliate program to promote electronics online.
- An affiliate program can help small websites earn extra revenue.