Definition of "affair" in English

noun

1. (often in the plural) Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.

   • a difficult affair to manage

2. Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely.

   • an affair of honor
   • an affair of love
   • The house was a ramshackle affair.

3. (military) An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle.

4. A material object (vaguely designated).

   • He used a hook-shaped affair with a long handle to unlock the car.
   • This garden is a ramshackle affair.

5. An adulterous relationship, chiefly of a married person. (from affaire de cœur, affair of the heart).

   • When Martin's wife found out about his affair with her best friend, she asked for a divorce.
   • Mary had an affair with a woman from the gym.

6. An otherwise illicit romantic relationship, such as with someone who is not one's regular partner (boyfriend, girlfriend).

   • Jerry's girlfriend said she wanted to go steady, but she was in an affair with one of his team-mates.

7. A person with whom someone has an adulterous relationship.

8. A party or social gathering, especially of a formal nature.

9. (slang, now rare) The (male or female) genitals.