ASSOCIATE

[noun] [C], [adjective] [not gradable]An associate is someone who is closely connected to another person as a companion, friend or business partner.A close associate of the author denied reports that she had cancer.Tina's party was very boring - it was full of her business associates.Associate members of an organization are not full members of it.In film or theatre, an associate director has a rank slightly lower than a director.(US) An Associate is someone who holds an associate's degree.an associate of arts.(US) An associate professor is a high-ranking teacher in a college or university who has a lower rank than a professor.(US) An associate's degree is the qualification given to a student by a junior college on successful completion of two years of study.