affair

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af·fair

(ə-fâr′)

a. Something done or experienced; a matter or event: Preparing dessert was a messy affair.

b. A matter of personal concern: What I did is my own affair.

c. A matter causing public scandal and controversy: the Dreyfus affair.

d. A social function: The reception was a posh affair.

2. affairs

a. Transactions and other matters of professional or public business: affairs of state.

b. Personal business: get one's affairs in order.

3. An object or a contrivance: Their first car was a ramshackle affair.

4. A sexual relationship between two people, especially when at least one of them is married or in another committed romantic relationship.

[Middle English affaire, from Old French afaire, from a faire, to do : a, to (from Latin ad; see ad-) + faire, to do (from Latin facere; see dhē- in Indo-European roots).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

affair

(əˈfɛə)

1. a thing to be done or attended to; matter; business: this affair must be cleared up.

2. an event or happening: a strange affair.

3. (qualified by an adjective or descriptive phrase) something previously specified, esp a man-made object; thing: our house is a tumbledown affair.

4. a sexual relationship between two people who are not married to each other

[C13: from Old French, from à faire to do]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

af•fair

(əˈfɛər)

n.

1. anything requiring action or effort; business; concern.

2. affairs, matters of commercial or public interest or concern: affairs of state.

3. thing; matter (usu. used with a descriptive or qualifying term): Our new computer is a complex affair.

4. a private or personal concern: That's none of your affair.

5. a usu. brief amorous relationship.

6. an incident that occasions notoriety, dispute, and often public scandal: the Congressional bribery affair.

7. a social gathering or other organized festive occasion.

[1250–1300; Middle English afere < Old French afaire, for a faire to do =a (< Latin ad to) + faire « Latin facere]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	affair - a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to"; "it is none of your affair"; "things are going well" matter, thing concern - something that interests you because it is important or affects you; "the safety of the ship is the captain's concern" least - something that is of no importance; "it is the least I can do"; "that is the least of my concerns"
	2.	affair - a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship affaire, amour, liaison, intimacy, involvement sexual relationship - a relationship involving sexual intimacy
	3.	affair - a vaguely specified social event; "the party was quite an affair"; "an occasion arranged to honor the president"; "a seemingly endless round of social functions" social function, social occasion, occasion, function social event - an event characteristic of persons forming groups party - an occasion on which people can assemble for social interaction and entertainment; "he planned a party to celebrate Bastille Day" celebration, jubilation - a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event ceremonial, ceremonial occasion, ceremony, observance - a formal event performed on a special occasion; "a ceremony commemorating Pearl Harbor" fundraiser - a social function that is held for the purpose of raising money photo op, photo opportunity - an occasion that lends itself to (or is deliberately arranged for) taking photographs that provide favorable publicity for those who are photographed sleepover - an occasion of spending a night away from home or having a guest spend the night in your home (especially as a party for children)

affair

noun

1. matter, thing, business, question, issue, happening, concern, event, subject, project, activity, incident, proceeding, circumstance, episode, topic, undertaking, transaction, occurrence The government has mishandled the whole affair.

2. occasion, happening, experience, event, celebration, occurrence Breakfast will be a cheerless affair for the minister this morning.

3. relationship, romance, intrigue, fling, liaison, flirtation, amour, dalliance A married male supervisor was carrying on an affair with a colleague.

4. concern, problem, business, matter, worry, responsibility, look-out, headache (informal) If you want to make a fool of yourself, that is your affair.

plural noun

1. concerns, records, papers, activities, proceedings, transactions, annals, doings The unexpectedness of his death meant that his affairs were not in order.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

affair

noun

1. Something to be done, considered, or dealt with:

business, matter, thing.

2. A large or important social gathering:

celebration, festivity, fete, function, gala, occasion, party, soiree.

Informal: do.

Slang: bash.

3. Something that concerns or involves one personally:

business, concern, lookout.

4. An intimate sexual relationship between two people:

amour, love, love affair, romance.

Translations

أمْر، شَأن، شَيءأُمُور، قَضَايَاشَأْنعَلاقَة غَرَامِيَّهمَسْأله، قَضِيَّه

záležitostaféramilostný poměrpletkapoměr

affæreanliggendebegivenhedsag

Angelegenheit Beziehung Affäre Ding Scharmützel

υπόθεση

cosa asunto caso lío negocio

tapahtuma

affaire chose liaison cause

aferastvar

ástarsambandhluturmálmál, málefni

affare faccenda questione relazione amorosa stando cos le cose

事柄

일

atsitikimasdaiktasistorijameilės ryšiaireikalas

darījumsdarīšanadēkalieta

zaak

affære anliggende begivenhet greie kjærlighetsforhold

romans sprawa

assunto caso coisa negócio

дело

aféramilostný pomer

bojstvarzadeva

affär

สถานการณ์ที่ได้รับการจัดการ

aşk ilişkisiişler macera olayolaylar

vấn đề

事务事情事物私通风流韵事

affair

[əˈfɛəʳ] N

1. (= business) → asunto m
the government has mishandled the affair → el gobierno ha llevado mal el asunto

2. affairs (= matters) → asuntos mpl
you will have to put your affairs in order → tendrás que aclarar tus asuntos
she runs my business affairs → ella se encarga de lo relacionado con mis negocios
affairs of the heart → asuntos mpl del corazón
a man of affairs → un hombre de negocios
affairs of state → asuntos mpl de estado

3. (= event) → ocasión f
it will be a big affair → será una ocasión importante → será todo un acontecimiento
the minister's visit will be a purely private affair → la visita del ministro tendrá un carácter puramente privado
dinner was a gloomy affair → la cena no fue una ocasión muy alegre

4. (= case) → caso m, asunto m
the Watergate affair → el caso Watergate, el asunto (de) Watergate

5. (= concern) → asunto m
that's my affair → eso es asunto mío or cosa mía, eso sólo me concierne a mí
if he wants to make a fool of himself, that's his affair → si quiere hacer el ridículo, es asunto suyo or allá él

6. (= love affair) → aventura f (amorosa), affaire m, lío m (amoroso)
he had an affair with a French girl → tuvo una aventura or un affaire con una chica francesa, tuvo un lío or estuvo liado con una chica francesa
they're having an affair → están liados

7. (= thing) the bed was an iron affair with brass knobs → la cama era un trasto de hierro con adornos de bronce
the house was a ramshackle, wooden affair → la casa era un destartalado cobertizo de madera

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

affair

[əˈfɛə^r]

(= incident) → affaire f
It was a dreadful affair → Ce fut une affaire terrible.

(= concern) → affaire f
that's your affair → c'est ton affaire

(also love affair) (long-term) → liaison f; (casual) → aventure f
to have an affair with somebody (long-term) → avoir une liaison avec quelqu'un; (casual) → avoir une aventure avec quelqu'un
a passionate affair → une aventure passionnée, une liaison passionnée

affairs n (= business) → affaires fpl

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

affair

(= event, concern, matter, business) → Sache f, → Angelegenheit f; the investigation was an odd affair altogether → die Untersuchung war schon eine seltsame Sache or Angelegenheit; a scandalous affair → ein Skandal m; the Watergate/Profumo affair → die Watergate-/Profumo-Affäre; the state of affairs with the economy → die Lage der Wirtschaft; in the present state of affairs → bei or in der gegenwärtigen Lage or Situation, beim gegenwärtigen Stand der Dinge; a state of affairs I don’t approve of → ein Zustand, den ich nicht billige; this is a sorry state of affairs! → das sind ja schöne Zustände!; your private affairs don’t concern me → deine Privatangelegenheiten sind mir egal; financial affairs have never interested me → Finanzfragen haben mich nie interessiert; I never interfere with his business affairs → ich mische mich nie in seine geschäftlichen Angelegenheiten ein; man of affairs (liter, form) → Geschäftsmann m; affairs of state → Staatsangelegenheiten pl; affairs of the heart → Herzensangelegenheiten pl; it’s not your affair what I do in the evenings → was ich abends tue, geht dich nichts an; that’s my/his affair! → das ist meine/seine Sache! ? also current ADJ, foreign affairs

(= love affair) → Verhältnis nt, → Affäre f (dated); to have an affair with somebody → ein Verhältnis mit jdm haben

(= duel) affair of honour → Ehrenhandel m

(inf: = object, thing) → Ding nt; what’s this funny aerial affair? → was soll dieses komische Antennendings? (inf); the committee was an odd affair → das Komitee war eine seltsame Sache

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

affair

[əˈfɛəʳ] n

a. (event) → faccenda, affare m; (love affair) → relazione f (amorosa); (brief) → avventura
it will be a big affair → sarà un avvenimento
the Watergate affair → il caso Watergate
that's my affair → sono affari or fatti miei
it's a bad state of affairs → è una brutta situazione

b. affairs npl (business) → affari
foreign affairs → affari esteri
affairs of state → affari di stato

affair

(əˈfeə) noun

1. happenings etc which are connected with a particular person or thing. the Suez affair.

2. a thing. The new machine is a weird-looking affair.

3. (often in plural) business; concern(s). financial affairs; Where I go is entirely my own affair.

4. a love relationship. His wife found out about his affair with another woman.

affair

→ شَأْن záležitost affære Angelegenheit υπόθεση asunto tapahtuma affaire stvar questione 事柄 일 zaak affære sprawa assunto дело affär สถานการณ์ที่ได้รับการจัดการ olay vấn đề 事务

affair

n. asunto, cuestión.

References in classic literature ?

If any one had cause to complain, I think it could not be you, who got out of the affair not only in a sound skin, but with the cordon of the Holy Ghost around your neck."

View in context

"I understand that you have undertaken to act in this affair as an intermediary.

View in context

For in other confidences, men commit the parts of life; their lands, their goods, their children, their credit, some particular affair; but to such as they make their counsellors, they commit the whole: by how much the more, they are obliged to all faith and integrity.

View in context

Many were the acknowledgments which the poor woman made to Allworthy for this kind and generous offer, nor could she refrain from taking this occasion again to express her gratitude towards Jones, "to whom," said she, "I owe the opportunity of giving you, sir, this present trouble." Allworthy gently stopped her; but he was too good a man to be really offended with the effects of so noble a principle as now actuated Mrs Miller; and indeed, had not this new affair inflamed his former anger against Jones, it is possible he might have been a little softened towards him, by the report of an action which malice itself could not have derived from an evil motive.

View in context

Of late his mother, incensed with him on account of his love affair and his leaving Moscow, had given up sending him the money.

View in context

There is much in this affair of a kind that does not meet the eye in a usual anarchist outrage, even if one looked into it as deep as can be.

View in context

"In the present affair I am only a passive spectator.

View in context

The cardinal made the king a sign, which signified, "That was on account of the affair about which I spoke to you."

View in context

Don Quixote bade his excellence arrange all matters connected with the affair as he pleased, as on his part he would obey him in everything.

View in context

In a single State, the requisite knowledge relates to the existing laws which are uniform throughout the State, and with which all the citizens are more or less conversant; and to the general affairs of the State, which lie within a small compass, are not very diversified, and occupy much of the attention and conversation of every class of people.

View in context

It is that of flatterers, of whom courts are full, because men are so self-complacent in their own affairs, and in a way so deceived in them, that they are preserved with difficulty from this pest, and if they wish to defend themselves they run the danger of falling into contempt.

View in context

The Rostovs' monetary affairs had not improved during the two years they had spent in the country.

View in context

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