1
as in romance
also affaire
a brief romantic relationship
an affair between two singles spending the summer at the same beach resort
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2
as in event
a social gathering
the annual country club dance is a really fancy affair
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3
as in production
something produced by physical or intellectual effort
the lead float in the parade was a pretty impressive affair, a giant eagle's head with equally huge wings
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4
as in incident
something that happens
the whole affair from start to finish took a total of 15 minutes
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5
as in matter
something to be dealt with
it's none of your affair whom I'm going out with tonight
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of affair
While the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards 2025 was a more muted affair this year, with attendees’ fashion choices leaning more into darker tones and simple silhouettes, there remained some dynamic moments.
—
Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2025
In a 2011 unauthorized biography of her son, White’s mother, June, accused him of having multiple affairs, including with UFC ring girls and his wife’s own sister.
—Matt Craig, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2025
Rubin was most recently director for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025
Musk has weighed in on international affairs and made provocative comments about politics in Germany and the United Kingdom—the latter of which Trump has publicly expressed opposing views.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for affair 
Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2025
In a 2011 unauthorized biography of her son, White’s mother, June, accused him of having multiple affairs, including with UFC ring girls and his wife’s own sister.
—Matt Craig, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2025
Rubin was most recently director for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025
Musk has weighed in on international affairs and made provocative comments about politics in Germany and the United Kingdom—the latter of which Trump has publicly expressed opposing views.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for affair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for affair
Noun
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Wilson recently hard-launched their romance during an interview.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
20 Feb. 2025
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Read: The slow, quiet demise of American romance Whether for-profit app companies are in fact trying to hinder people’s romantic game is questionable.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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It's expected to include sketches and musical performances and will be a three-hour live event, double the amount of time of a normal SNL show.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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Sherman and Yang will be on hand this weekend when SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary on Sunday (Feb. 16) during a three-hour live retrospective event, SNL50: The Anniversary Special, which will air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET and stream on Peacock.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The tariffs, effective immediately, are expected to affect manufacturing and production costs, particularly for businesses that rely heavily on aluminum for packaging.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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The agreement takes effect after BBC Studios completes its current production commitments in the region.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Any 12-stepper is gonna tell you, that creates this whole series of circular incidents and accidents.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2025
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Adams was one of four men killed in domestic violence incidents last year — a full third of the city’s 2024 fatal domestic violence victims, according to police data.—
Shelly Bradbury,
The Denver Post,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After enduring his mother’s lies, Kanan assumed control of his life and took matters into his own hands by orchestrating the plan that ended in the deaths of Ronnie and Detective Howard.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
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While Democrats and Republicans voted along party lines on the issue, Democrats Lynn LaPlante and Lucy Chang Evans abstained from the vote and expressed disappointment that the matter was raised.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Here are five to watch: Midsummer madness NASCAR aims to spur interest, create intrigue and serve track owners.—
Edgar Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2025
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The intrigue: Rumor has it Swift could be joined by singer/actress Selena Gomez and Gomez's fiancé, record producer Benny Blanco.—
Troy Smith,
Axios,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who turned 83 on Thursday, is the longest-serving Senate party leader in history.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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Bowery’s party costumes and body of work across fashion, music and performance is being recognized in an exhibition at the Tate Modern that will open on Feb. 27.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
WWD,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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However, while Taobao’s feature covers almost the entire product pool, JD.com’s supports group gifting, allowing users to share gifts in groups and reciprocate after receiving a gift.—
Li Jun,
WWD,
9 Feb. 2025
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All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors.—
Jenzia Burgos,
StyleCaster,
9 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Affair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/affair. Accessed 24 Feb. 2025.
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