affairaf‧fair /əˈfeə $ əˈfer/ ●●● S2 W1 noun [countable] 
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 state1(8)2event 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.► see thesaurus at event3relationship a secret sexual relationship between two people, when at least one of them is married to someone else SYN love affairaffair with He had an affair with his boss that lasted six years.4object informal old-fashioned used when describing an object, machine etc: The computer was one of those little portable affairs.5be somebody’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.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesworld/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 channelsomebody’s private affairs (=things that are personal and not for other people to know about)· He never discussed his private affairs in public.somebody’s financial affairs· They offer advice on managing your financial affairs.somebody’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 affairsreligious 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 Affairsdomestic/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.phrasesaffairs 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.
WORD ORIGINaffair
Origin:
1100-1200 Old French afaire, from à faire ‘to do’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Burton had been involved in a love affair with a woman who ended up taking most of his money.
- He accused his wife of having an affair.
- I had no idea that Mike had an affair with Carolyn!
- My wife thinks I'm having an affair with someone at work.
- Nick Leeson had to serve a prison term in Singapore for his part in the affair.
- The affair had been going on for years before her husband found out.
- The awards celebration is an annual affair in Hollywood.
- The court case was an awful affair that dragged on for months.
- The whole world was waiting for the outcome of the Watergate affair.
- Their affair lasted for six years.
- They finally confessed their secret love affair.
- According to one account, the Cornishmen felt that the affairs of the North were too remote to interest them.
- According to this official document, the blame for the Executive Life affair lay with former managers of Altus and the group.
- Angel's branch of the Solis de Gonzales, however, were no good at looking after their business affairs.
- For the Prince it was the beginning of a love affair.
- Other co-operation agreements were signed, covering economics, trade, transport, technical affairs, culture and drug policing.
- She too endured harsh criticism and partisan pressure for becoming openly involved in public affairs.
- The interpretation of the complex world of human affairs in terms of an experimental analysis is no doubt often oversimplified.
THESAURUS
when two people spend time together or live together because they are romantically or sexually attracted to each other: · After her marriage broke up, she had a series of disastrous relationships.relationship with: · I don’t want to start a relationship with her, because I’m going back to South Africa.relationship between: · Relationships between people of different cultures are often extremely difficult.be in a relationship: · Why are all the interesting men I meet already in relationships?sexual relationship: · Several of the psychiatrists admitted to having sexual relationships with patients.romantic relationship: · Even at 35, Bobby seemed unable to commit to a romantic relationship.
a secret sexual relationship between two people, when one or both of them is married to someone else: · The affair had been going on for years before her husband found out.affair with: · I had no idea that Mike had an affair with Carolyn!love affair: · Burton had been involved in a love affair with a woman who ended up taking most of his money.
a short and not very serious relationship: · Yes, I did go out with him, but it was just a fling.· She wasn’t interested in anything more than a casual fling.fling with: · She left her husband after she learned about his fling with an exotic dancer.have a fling: · They had a fling years ago.
an exciting and often short relationship between two people who feel very much in love with each other: · It was a beautiful summer romance, but they knew it couldn’t last.· Richard and Penny had made no great secret of their romance, even though they were both married.romance with: · My romance with Lois did not survive our high school graduation.
something that happens, especially something important, interesting, or unusual: · He spoke of the tragic event in which more than 100 people died.· recent political events
formal something that happens – used especially when saying how often something happens: · Divorce is a common occurrence these days.· Storms like this one are fortunately a rare occurrence.· Accidents are almost a daily occurrence on this road.
something that happens, especially something that is unusual or unpleasant, or something that is one of several events: · He died after a violent incident outside a nightclub.· This latest incident could put an end to his career.
an important social event or celebration: · She only wore the dress for special occasions.· It was his 100th birthday, and friends and family gathered to mark the occasion.
[usually singular] something that happens, especially something shocking in political or public life which involves several people and events: · The affair has caused people to lose confidence in their government.
something that happens or exists in society, science, or nature, especially something that is studied because it is difficult to understand: · natural phenomena such as earthquakes· Homelessness is not a new phenomenon.
Longman Language Activatora series of bad things that happen at the same time something that happens, especially something unpleasant or shocking, that usually involves several people and several events: · The court case was an awful affair that dragged on for months.· The whole world was waiting for the outcome of the Watergate affair.· Nick Leeson had to serve a prison term in Singapore for his part in the affair.
a set of connected events which you think are unpleasant, shocking, annoying etc: · It was a nasty business. In the end, she killed herself, you know.the whole business (of something): · I don't want to argue about this any more -- I'm sick of the whole business.· The whole business of getting a visa can take a very long time.
informal things that have been happening somewhere, especially ones that surprise, annoy, or amuse you: · I could hardly believe it when he told me about the goings-on in his office.· According to Gwen, there had been some very strange goings-on in the upstairs apartment.
things that are happening at the same time in the same place involving a lot of people, all behaving in an angry, excited etc way: · Angry scenes in Parliament followed the minister's statement.· The airport was full of the usual emotional scenes, and people saying 'goodbye'.
a romantic or sexual relationship when two people spend time together or live together because they are romantically or sexually attracted to each other: · After her marriage broke up, she had a series of disastrous relationships.relationship with: · I don't want to start a relationship with her, because I'm going back to South Africa.relationship between: · Relationships between people of different cultures are often extremely difficult.be in a relationship: · Why are all the interesting men I meet already in relationships?sexual relationship: · Several of the psychiatrists admitted to having sexual relationships with patients.romantic relationship: · Even at 35, Bobby seemed unable to commit to a romantic relationship.
a secret sexual relationship between two people, when one or both of them is married to someone else: · The affair had been going on for years before her husband found out.affair with: · I had no idea that Mike had an affair with Carolyn!love affair: · Burton had been involved in a love affair with a woman who ended up taking most of his money.
a short and not very serious relationship: · Yes, I did go out with him, but it was just a fling.· She wasn't interested in anything more than a casual fling.fling with: · She left her husband after she learned about his fling with an exotic dancer.have a fling: · They had a fling years ago.
an exciting and often short relationship between two people who feel very much in love with each other: · It was a beautiful summer romance, but they knew it couldn't last.· Richard and Penny had made no great secret of their romance, even though they were both married.romance with: · My romance with Lois did not survive our high school graduation.
to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone also go with American to have someone as your girlfriend or boyfriend: · How long have you been going out with Mindy?· Is she still going with that guy who works at the gas station?be going (out) together: · Mark and I have been going out together for four years.
to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone, especially a relationship that is not very serious and does not last very long: · Do you know if Tanya's seeing anyone at the moment?· A couple of years after they got married, he started seeing other women.
to have a romantic or sexual relationship with someone, especially one that continues for a long time: · I have had several relationships before, but this is special.· They'd been having a relationship for over a year when Julie found out she was pregnant.have a relationship with: · Would you even consider having a relationship with a man like Denny?
to have a secret sexual relationship with someone who is not your husband or wife: · I'd kill my husband if I found out he'd been having an affair.have an affair with: · The senator has been accused of having an affair with his publicity assistant.
to be having a serious relationship with someone, especially someone who is not suitable for you: · She's involved with a much older man.· The school has strict rules against teachers becoming involved with students.· Brad doesn't want to get involved with anyone right now. He's still upset about Suzanne.
American to be having a relationship with someone, especially a relationship that is not very serious yet: · How long have Paul and Sue been dating?· What is a man his age doing dating a 17-year-old?· I thought we were just friends, but when I started dating other men, he suddenly got really jealous.
when someone has sex with someone who is not their husband, girlfriend etc if someone is unfaithful , they have sex with someone who is not their husband, girlfriend etc: · Why do women stay with unfaithful partners?· Jeff promised he'd never be unfaithful again.unfaithful to: · He accused me of being unfaithful to him.
informal if someone cheats on their husband, girlfriend etc, they secretly have sex with someone else: · What would you do if your boyfriend cheated on you?
a secret sexual relationship between two people when at least one of them is married to someone else: · Their affair lasted for six years.love affair: · They finally confessed their secret love affair.have an affair (with somebody): · He accused his wife of having an affair.· My wife thinks I'm having an affair with someone at work.
the act of having sex with someone who is not your husband or wife, when you are married: · She finally left her husband because of his adultery.commit adultery formal (=have sex with someone who is not your husband or wife): · 60% of men admit to committing adultery at some time during their marriages.
formal when someone who is married has sex with someone who is not their husband or wife: · Her husband never knew of her infidelity.marital infidelity: · There had been rumours for a long time of Clinton's marital infidelity.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives Our office administers the affairs of the Society. the Minister of External Affairs We have no interest in interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. a lamentable state of affairs He accused the US of meddling in China’s internal affairs. The whole sordid affair came out in the press. She discovered the truth about his sordid past. I want to hear all the sordid details! It’s a sorry state of affairs when an old lady has to wait 12 hours to see a doctor.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· China is now a major player in world affairs.
(=important events that are happening now)· a 24-hour news and current affairs channel
(=things that are personal and not for other people to know about)· He never discussed his private affairs in public.
· They offer advice on managing your financial affairs.
· After dad retired, I managed his estate and business affairs.
· He was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for economic affairs.
· The military promised to stay out of political affairs.
· the president’s advisor on military affairs
· She wanted to be more involved in the church and religious affairs.
(=events in other countries)· the Secretary of State for Foreign 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.
(=events that affect the people of a country)· He was active in public affairs in his region.
phrases (=the business of the government)· The church played no role in the affairs of state.
(=organize them before you go somewhere or die)· I have cancer so I know I’ve got to put my affairs in order.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Our office administers the affairs of the Society. (=public and political events inside a country)· Colombia rejected any interference in its domestic affairs.
the Minister of External Affairs (=matters relating to love)· I had little experience of affairs of the heart.
We have no interest in interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. a lamentable state of affairs He accused the US of meddling in China’s internal affairs. The whole sordid affair came out in the press. She discovered the truth about his sordid past. I want to hear all the sordid details! It’s a sorry state of affairs when an old lady has to wait 12 hours to see a doctor.· Upper classes are often heavily loaded with current world affairs and the complicated workings of the United Nations and its agencies.· All current affairs in the whole world of lamentable war and strife needed to be weighed in this balance.· Robert Kee, current affairs experience in depth.· It specifies regional programmes and high quality news and current affairs.· They would talk politely of this and that; of current affairs or items of local interest.· Traditional current affairs departments haven't quite figured out how to adjust their agenda to meet the shift.
· The Hanoverian kings were not uninterested in political life but they had difficulty comprehending the complexities of domestic and foreign affairs.· The ruling dynasties and aristocracies required an essential stability in international as well as domestic affairs.· There is no reason today why Paris should intervene massively in our domestic affairs.· Catherine had trouble tending to their own domestic affairs though they had a handy expertise for the affairs of others.· Both these men, under the Yorkists, were more concerned with national administration than with the domestic affairs of the household.· Sixteen standing commissions were also created to advise on domestic and foreign affairs.· Thereafter, his form fluctuated as irregularly as his training and his domestic affairs.· The image of the government was one of strength in domestic affairs.
· A member of the Council of Foreign Relations, his resume shows a continuing interest in international economic affairs.· The inter-war period was one of great change in social and economic affairs.· Generals resumed expounding their views on political and economic affairs.· They were explicitly instructed to involve themselves in local economic affairs, education, medical care, prisons and road maintenance.· The process of reproduction is still conspicuously missing from most discussions of economic affairs, as the following passage typifies.· These are articulated, in particular, through finance and economic affairs departments - in the United Kingdom, the Treasury.· We pray that the economic affairs of our land may be directed towards justice for all.
· We can see the results of this in both the internal and external affairs of the house.· The rule protected States from intervention by other States in their external affairs and maintained the inherent bilateralism of international law.· The Governor, representing the sovereign, is responsible for external affairs, defence and internal security.
· Also when it refers to financial or economic affairs it is usually only bad news.· In his last years, he had lived with his daughter Marian Brockamp, who handled his financial affairs.· The communications and information revolution has permitted progressively greater central control over their financial affairs.· She appointed officers, kept a watch over financial affairs, and made sure the work was progressing smoothly.· It is the will of the controlling Labour group and its inability to manage financial affairs.· In their financial affairs they have been abnormally secretive.· Joint Financial Responsibility All members of the band are equally responsible for the band's financial affairs.· And when the money starts rolling in, you will need an accountant to handle all of your financial affairs.
· Mr Kaufman, Labour's chief foreign affairs spokesman, sat at his bench shaking his head.· In foreign affairs, he leaned heavily in the late 1970s on the United States as a counterweight to Soviet military power.· During the session there had been some debate over the selection of the ministers of finance and foreign affairs.· The establishment contained no department of foreign affairs.· The author is Labour's foreign affairs spokesman.· It was also a place where she and women students would meet over lunch to discuss foreign affairs.· As with defence, foreign affairs are a difficult issue.· Foreign policy Foreign affairs during this period were dominated by the Gulf crisis.
· And soft is also with human affairs.· Would coursework in psychology enable me also to turn scholarship out on to human affairs?· There are people who blame most of the problems in human affairs on communication failures, and they have a point.· We want to know what lessons they teach us about human affairs.· Bored with the assertion of the central place of boredom in human affairs, he wrote.· This is what is meant by the proper condition of human affairs.· The interpretation of the complex world of human affairs in terms of an experimental analysis is no doubt often oversimplified.· Such indeterminism, or at least the appearance of it, is commonplace in ordinary human affairs.
· Helsinki was full of pious declarations about the inviolability of borders and non-interference in internal affairs.· They may regulate their internal affairs and their domestic commerce as they like.· The memorandum of agreement stipulated that neither side should interfere in the other's internal affairs.· A country's strategic geographical position might invite super-power attention and meddling in its internal affairs.· Barbuda maintains a considerable degree of control over its internal affairs.
· Nor does it prevent states from making symbolic political statements about international affairs.· There is, though, no overt mention of current international affairs.· Does it matter, he asks, if media and public become less interested in international affairs?· But the intelligence game is now an international affair where winning and point-scoring is the most important thing.· The disaster in Rangoon had touched off an extensive reorganization of the bureaucracy dealing with North-South and international affairs.· They were for use by statesmen and diplomats, working aids for the men engaged in the conduct of international affairs.· At the time, 1948, the Cold War was becoming the pervasive issue in international affairs and domestic politics.
· They none the less strengthened the authority of the republican leaderships as they gradually extended their effective control over local affairs.· Our question to the respondents dealt with participation in local affairs.· They were explicitly instructed to involve themselves in local economic affairs, education, medical care, prisons and road maintenance.· The Brady case may provide court conservatives another chance to limit the power of the federal government in state and local affairs.· He's been diving into local affairs to help raise money for charity.· At regular shire and hundred meetings royal orders were implemented and local affairs, including the administration of justice, transacted.· That international impact on local affairs is true for all economies.· It was very much a local affair with the town's voluntary groups playing the largest part in the proceedings.
· His personality and judgement were of most significance in the fields of foreign and military affairs.· Supervisor of the military and foreign affairs.· The eighteenth century was thus a period of slow evolution rather than radical change in military affairs.· Of more concern, Nye and other specialists feel, is the growing political influence of the military in internal affairs.· Over the next few years he was active in, first, local and soon national military affairs.· On retiring from it he continued to take an active part in military affairs.· Since strictly military affairs are involved this time, the eyes of the generals were opened, too ....
· Certainly by the spring of 1199 the pope realized that a major political affair was developing.· The narrative line wavers, its constant ebb and flow in political affairs and love story creating a sense of drift.· Over the following months, de Gaulle assumed total control over political affairs and substantially reduced Giraud's authority as Commander-in-Chief.· Great concern was often expressed about lack of military interest in political affairs.· Generals resumed expounding their views on political and economic affairs.· In pre-industrial societies philosophers generally asserted that a clear division of labour in political affairs was unavoidable and beneficial.· Sir James needed a man to run his political affairs, to manage the undercover campaigns of entertainment and bribery.
· Not in business, or in my private affairs.· And then she found herself wondering what had prompted her to utter remarks concerning his private affairs.· Yet in nature the whole business of death is a much more private affair.· Both are considered totally private affairs, the secret of which is often not even shared between man and wife.· Perhaps he couldn't bear to, perhaps it was just that he felt his marriage to be a private affair.· Our secret films are private affairs, watched behind the eyes.· Fieldwork in this style is a very small-scale, private affair.· Buckingham Palace has always insisted that it does not comment on the private affairs of members of the family.
· Initially, mobilization had served to increase government control of public affairs.· She too endured harsh criticism and partisan pressure for becoming openly involved in public affairs.· If you fancy your chances, contact Carolyn Andrews at the public affairs department who will send you the necessary registration forms.· He imported the commonsense realist philosophy, which included a demand that individuals be responsible for public affairs.· For his last three decades Clarke played no part in science or public affairs.· It took several years before we were able to reinstate a comprehensive schedule of public affairs programming on public television.· Dodger great Don Newcombe heads up the public affairs department, one of the highlights of a top to bottom classy organization.
· The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror ... reduced coverage of political, social and economic affairs during the inter-war period.· But at 738, 000, said Ad Melkert, the social affairs minister, the number is still too high.· The inter-war period was one of great change in social and economic affairs.· It is foolish to think, therefore, that any social, cultural affair or any language has remained the same.· Moreover, it is tempting to translate them directly into human social and political affairs.· Communication is also a social affair, usually taking place within the context of a fairly well defined social situation.· We pray that in the coming year, this nation may know increasingly, your peace in economic and social affairs.· But the Freedom party will keep key roles in the cabinet-finance, justice and social affairs.
· On the Monday before her wedding-day, Diana gave serious consideration to calling a halt to the whole affair.· You had to have a corporation behind the whole farming affair now.· Just a few weeks ago he had been saying the whole affair would fizzle out and Banfield would sink back into anonymity once more.· Heck, even the venerable New York Times devoted substantial ink to the whole overblown affair.· A more devious theory is that the whole red-mercury affair is simply a fantasy dreamt up to make Mr Rutskoi look foolish.· He drew every spoke in the wheels, and the whole affair looked as if it had been instantaneously petrified or arrested.· Calls from every side for a full judicial inquiry into the whole affair grew louder.· Undoubtedly to the disappointment of the leakers, Inman came through the whole affair like a breath of fresh air.
NOUN· Angel's branch of the Solis de Gonzales, however, were no good at looking after their business affairs.· Management must also consider the risk that the firm must assume in its business affairs.· The reasons for this we consider to be legitimate business affairs.· I always advise musicians to digest at least a certain amount of knowledge about their business affairs.· These actions followed a Journal article in August that raised questions about the accuracy of company statements about its business affairs.· Quite evidently it was not his habit to discuss his business affairs with strangers.· Tom Lester is a specialist writer on business affairs Ranks Hovis McDougall spend around £18 million per year on electricity.
· He secured 11 ministerial jobs, including home affairs and justice, during the Fourth Republic.· After that, suspects deemed to be an ongoing risk to national security can be incarcerated indefinitely by the home affairs minister.· Wordsworth's later views on home affairs will be more appropriately discussed at the end of Chapter 2.
· What a cruel account is this of the Vicar's one and only love affair!· A love affair By the 1960s, when my own association with the hotel began, the Algonquin was all legend.· He realised that Marion's reticence was to protect the secret of her love affair with Ronald Travis.· Tempesta, Lockwood and their classmates who already have licenses can continue their love affair with driving.· She was notorious for having lots of love affairs which she told us all about.· And I resumed my long-distance love affair with the Royal Ballet, which seems determined never to play a theater near me.· Like most failed love affairs, there is no simple moral.· Sometimes we cried about our broken families or unhappy love affairs.
· Labour consumer affairs spokesman Nigel Griffiths warned Sega and Nintendo they had three weeks to act.· Mr Kaufman, Labour's chief foreign affairs spokesman, sat at his bench shaking his head.· The author is Labour's foreign affairs spokesman.· Consumer affairs spokesman Mr Griffiths accused games firms of rigging the market - forcing shoppers to buy, rather than rent.· Labour consumer affairs spokesman Nigel Griffiths has given Sega and Nintendo a three-week deadline to act.
· The motion had particularly pleased Mobuto who was desperate to bring Zimbala back into world affairs.· Upper classes are often heavily loaded with current world affairs and the complicated workings of the United Nations and its agencies.· Through the all-night watches he engaged officers in conversation, asked them questions about world affairs.· Nevertheless, in their aftermaths, Britain's voice was undoubtedly strengthened in world affairs.· The United States had to accept a more limited role in world affairs.
VERB· He appoints a pontifical commission to conduct the administrative affairs of the state.· She and Implexion had been conducting a casual affair for years; she knew him better than anyone.· Until radicals grasped the need to conduct their affairs in absolute secrecy, their chances of conspiring effectively were remote.· My father seemed to be happy to conduct his affairs through them for long enough.· Equally, there are those who conduct their affairs with imagination and equanimity.· It appeared to Nizan as the only realistic method of conducting human affairs in a civilised manner.· To go to war in order to change the way another country was conducting its affairs was obviously illegal.· How the House conducts its affairs, particularly on questions affecting taxation of our constituents, is of great importance.
· Although no tax-payers' money was involved, the affair received intensive media coverage.· She too endured harsh criticism and partisan pressure for becoming openly involved in public affairs.· Mr Thompson always vehemently denied he was involved in criminal affairs.· He had been a leather merchant and a tanner, and had been involved in some disreputable affair.· She knew how much he hated relying on other people or being involved in their affairs.· Nor did she get involved in the Dreyfus affair.· Owen cursed himself for having been so foolhardy as to get involved in this affair.· When dons became involved in worldly affairs, they observed, mistakes were inevitable.
· As if all this were not enough, schools have started managing their own financial affairs.· From that site, the company said, it will also manage worldwide drug regulatory affairs, business development and international marketing.· His also wished to return to the primitive structure where the Church managed its own affairs.· There is also the possibility that you might become incapable of managing your affairs.· PricewaterhouseCoopers is accused of negligence in managing his affairs.· But it had obvious difficulties for many students who found they could not manage both love affairs and study.· It is the will of the controlling Labour group and its inability to manage financial affairs.· Surely Rob was old enough to manage his own affairs!
· And if you didn't insist on meddling in large affairs that affect the globe, you would actually be charming.· Gelbard in turn was accused by the government of meddling in national affairs.· A country's strategic geographical position might invite super-power attention and meddling in its internal affairs.
· For a Liberal Democrat to argue that giving institutions the power to run their own affairs is a centralising measure is extraordinary.· The critics assumed that blacks were inferior, incapable of running their own affairs.· You can't spend the rest of your life running from one disastrous affair.· Hospitals that have chosen to opt out of health-authority control and become self-governing will start running their own affairs.· Measures affecting higher education saw the universities granted greater autonomy in running their own affairs.· The second is the principles on which the modern world professes to want to run its affairs.· Sir James needed a man to run his political affairs, to manage the undercover campaigns of entertainment and bribery.
· It aims to treat all taxpayers with equal fairness and to settle their tax affairs impartially.· On Dec. 4 King Bhumibol made a highly unusual intervention and called on the two sides to settle the affair peacefully.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1public/political activities affairs [plural] a)public or political events and activities: - They were accused of interfering in China's internal affairs.
- world affairs
- You need to get your financial affairs in order.
- What I do in my free time is my affair and nobody else's.
- Crisis has always been the normal state of affairs in our country's politics.
- It's a sad state of affairs when a leader can't take the time to address the true problems facing his country.
- I called on Labour Councillors: they agreed that the state of affairs on the site was shocking.
- Such a state of affairs provides the seller with a unique opportunity to exploit the relatively weak bargaining position of the investor.
- The Dubroca incident added insult to an already severely injured state of affairs.
- The random production might be regarded as the normal state of affairs, periodic production occurring through a rather special mechanism.
- This state of affairs is not, I think, an aberration, but is inevitable in the structures of higher education.
- True, and that's an unfortunate state of affairs.
- What might the repercussions be of this unprecedented state of affairs?
- When the state of affairs improved, Mark was promoted, but Colin was not ready.
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 state1(8)2event 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.► see thesaurus at event3relationship a secret sexual relationship between two people, when at least one of them is married to someone else SYN love affairaffair with He had an affair with his boss that lasted six years.4object informal old-fashioned used when describing an object, machine etc: The computer was one of those little portable affairs.5be somebody’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.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesworld/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 channelsomebody’s private affairs (=things that are personal and not for other people to know about)· He never discussed his private affairs in public.somebody’s financial affairs· They offer advice on managing your financial affairs.somebody’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 affairsreligious 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 Affairsdomestic/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.phrasesaffairs 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.