affair
affair
/əˈfeə(r)/, /əˈfer/
public/political activities
1 affairs plural events that are of public interest or political importance world/international affairs
an expert on foreign affairs (= political events in other countries)
We are expecting a statement from the home affairs (= political events in your own country) spokesman.
internal/external affairs
affairs of state
Collocations
adjective
verb + affairs
phrases
affairs of state
a state of affairs
event
The newspapers exaggerated the whole affair wildly.
She wanted the celebration to be a simple family affair.
Many people have criticized the way the government handled the affair.
The Whitewater affair was the biggest scandal of the decade.
The debate was a pretty disappointing affair.
I ended up disillusioned and bitter about the whole affair.
I knew that the wedding would be a grand affair.
He has tried to play down his involvement in the affair.
She saw the whole affair as a great joke.
Collocations
adjective
verb + affair
phrases
somebody’s involvement in the affair
wash your hands of the affair
relationship
3 countable a sexual relationship between two people, usually when one or both of them are already in a relationship with somebody else She was having an affair with a co-worker.
an extramarital affair
It's the story of a secret affair between a married teacher and her teenage student.
They had a passionate affair for six months.
Their affair did not develop into a lasting relationship.
an affair with a married man
a torrid love affair
How long has the affair been going on?
Collocations
adjective
verb + affair
affair + verb
preposition
affair between
affair with
private business
4 affairs plural matters connected with a person’s private business and financial situation She manages the family's financial affairs.
I looked after my father's financial affairs.
She wanted to put her affairs in order before she died.
5 singular a thing that somebody is responsible for (and that other people should not be interested in) How I spend my money is my affair.
The details of your relationship should be a private affair.
That's no affair of yours.
It's a family affair.
Collocations
adjective
verb + affair
phrases
somebody’s affair
no affair of somebody’s
object
6 countable (with an adjective) (old-fashioned) an object that is unusual or difficult to describe Her hat was an amazing affair with feathers and a huge brim.
Idioms
Word Origin
Middle English: from Old French afaire, from à faire ‘to do’; compare with ado.