liaison

noun

li·ai·son lē-ˈā-ˌzän

ˈlē-ə-ˌzän

nonstandard

ˈlā-ə-

Synonyms of liaison next

: a binding or thickening agent used in cooking

a butter and flour liaison

: a close bond or connection : interrelationship

: an illicit sexual relationship : affair sense 3a

: communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation (as between parts of an armed force)

: a person who establishes and maintains communication for mutual understanding and cooperation

a press liaison

: the pronunciation of an otherwise absent consonant sound at the end of the first of two consecutive words the second of which begins with a vowel sound and follows without pause

Did you know?

If you took French in school, you might remember that liaison is the word for the phenomenon that causes a silent consonant at the end of one word to sound like it begins the next word when that word begins with a vowel, so that a phrase like beaux arts sounds like \boh zahr\. We can thank French for the origin of the term, as well. Liaison comes from Middle French lier, meaning "to bind or tie." Other English senses of liaison apply it to all kinds of bonds—from people who work to connect different groups to the kind of relationship sometimes entered into by two people who are attracted to one another.

Examples of liaison in a Sentence

Today's army works on rotations; soldiers are deployed for about a year and then (in principle at least) they come home. When that happens, local liaisons and intelligence relationships must be rebuilt. —

James K. Galbraith, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

I had known Korologos when I was Solicitor General, and he was the Nixon White House's liaison to the Senate. He was a great support. —

Robert H. Bork, The Tempting of America, 1990

Gossip columnists began to infer from Evelyn's disappearances that she was engaging in reckless liaisons, and her name was linked with dozens of men around town. —

E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975

She acts as a liaison between the police department and city schools. Administrators need to maintain better liaison with employees. Administrators need to establish a close liaison with employees. He regretted his liaison with a woman from the office.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The program also lost some key executives, including its primary liaison with the FAA and its founding leader. —

Annie Palmer, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024 The ceremony honored five members of the Arizona National Guard, the tribal liaison from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, and several Havasupai tribal members. —

Skylar Heisey, The Arizona Republic, 22 Oct. 2024 Federal investigators were looking into whether bars and clubs in midtown Manhattan and Queens paid James Caban to act as a police liaison and whether those clubs were then afforded special treatment by local precincts, according to sources familiar with the matter. —

Jonathan Dienst, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2024 The task of piecing together Johnson's life story was left to Amelia Boivin, the constituent liaison in the Pawtucket mayor's office. —

CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liaison