af ‧ fair S2 W1 /əˈfeə $ əˈfer/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: afaire , from à faire 'to do' ]
1 . PUBLIC/POLITICAL ACTIVITIES affairs [plural]
a) public or political events and activities:
Are you interested in world affairs?
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Women had little role in public affairs.
b) things connected with your personal life, your financial situation etc:
I am not prepared to discuss my financial affairs with the press.
⇨ state of affairs at ↑ state 1 (8)
2 . EVENT
a) an event or set of related events, especially one that is impressive or shocking:
the Watergate affair
The whole affair was a disaster.
b) used when describing an event:
The party was a very grand affair.
3 . RELATIONSHIP a secret sexual relationship between two people, when at least one of them is married to someone else SYN love affair
affair with
He had an affair with his boss that lasted six years.
4 . OBJECT informal old-fashioned used when describing an object, machine etc:
The computer was one of those little portable affairs.
5 . be sb’s affair if something is your affair, it only concerns you and you do not want anyone else to get involved in it:
What I do in my free time is my affair.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ world/international affairs
China is now a major player in world affairs.
▪ current affairs (=important events that are happening now)
a 24-hour news and current affairs channel
▪ sb’s private affairs (=things that are personal and not for other people to know about)
He never discussed his private affairs in public.
▪ sb’s financial affairs
They offer advice on managing your financial affairs.
▪ sb’s business affairs
After dad retired, I managed his estate and business affairs.
▪ economic affairs
He was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for economic affairs.
▪ political affairs
The military promised to stay out of political affairs.
▪ military affairs
the president’s advisor on military affairs
▪ religious affairs
She wanted to be more involved in the church and religious affairs.
▪ foreign/external affairs (=events in other countries)
the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
▪ domestic/internal affairs ( also home affairs British English ) (=events inside a country)
the Minister of Home Affairs
|
He said that the US should not try to interfere in his country's domestic affairs.
▪ public affairs (=events that affect the people of a country)
He was active in public affairs in his region.
■ phrases
▪ affairs of state (=the business of the government)
The church played no role in the affairs of state.
▪ put your affairs in order (=organize them before you go somewhere or die)
I have cancer so I know I’ve got to put my affairs in order.