affair

noun

af·​fair ə-ˈfer 

1

a

affairs plural : commercial, professional, public, or personal business

handles the company's public affairs

an expert in foreign affairs

b

: matter, concern

How I choose to live is my affair, not yours.

2

: a procedure, action, or occasion only vaguely specified

also : an object or collection of objects only vaguely specified

Their house was a 2-story affair.

3

or less commonly affaire

a

: a romantic or passionate attachment typically of limited duration : liaison sense 2b

had an affair with a coworker

b

: a matter occasioning public anxiety, controversy, or scandal : case

the Watergate affair of the early 1970s

Synonyms

• amour
• fling
• love
• love affair
• romance

Examples of affair in a Sentence

After the war, the government focused on its own domestic affairs.

They accused the U.S. of interfering in the internal affairs of other nations.

How I choose to live is my affair, not yours.

adulterous affairs between married men and single women

Recent Examples on the Web

The trip to and from Sacramento to work in person is a 14-hour affair. —Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2025

For example the story of the like button suggests that innovation is not the result of one hero standing tall but a serendipitous social affair. —Christian Stadler, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Trump's entrance into the chamber was a celebratory affair for Republican lawmakers and his allies, while Democrats largely remained stone-faced. —Erin Doherty, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025

Although the modern-day parade is a secular affair, there is always preparade Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, where pews are filled with parishioners dressed in green. —Madeline Weinfield, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aferes "activities," affaire "enterprise," borrowed from Anglo-French afaire, affere "business, activity, enterprise, matter, topic, situation," from the phrase a faire "to do," from a "to" (going back to Latin ad) + faire "to do," going back to Latin facere — more at at entry 1, do entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing affair

• love affair
• none of someone's affair/business

Rhymes for affair

• abwehr
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare
• cookware

Kids Definition

affair

noun

af·​fair ə-ˈfa(ə)r 

-ˈfe(ə)r

1

a

plural : commercial, professional, public, or personal business

government affairs

arranged my affairs before leaving

b

: concern entry 2 sense 1, matter

not your affair at all

2

a

: event sense 1b, activity

a social affair

b

: product sense 2, thing

the house was a two-story affair

3

: a brief romantic relationship