liaison

noun

li·ai·son lē-ˈā-ˌzän

ˈlē-ə-ˌzän

nonstandard

ˈlā-ə-

Synonyms of liaison next

: a binding or thickening agent used in cooking

a butter and flour liaison

: a close bond or connection : interrelationship

: an illicit sexual relationship : affair sense 3a

: communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation (as between parts of an armed force)

: a person who establishes and maintains communication for mutual understanding and cooperation

a press liaison

: the pronunciation of an otherwise absent consonant sound at the end of the first of two consecutive words the second of which begins with a vowel sound and follows without pause

Did you know?

If you took French in school, you might remember that liaison is the word for the phenomenon that causes a silent consonant at the end of one word to sound like it begins the next word when that word begins with a vowel, so that a phrase like beaux arts sounds like \boh zahr\. We can thank French for the origin of the term, as well. Liaison comes from Middle French lier, meaning "to bind or tie." Other English senses of liaison apply it to all kinds of bonds—from people who work to connect different groups to the kind of relationship sometimes entered into by two people who are attracted to one another.

Examples of liaison in a Sentence

Today's army works on rotations; soldiers are deployed for about a year and then (in principle at least) they come home. When that happens, local liaisons and intelligence relationships must be rebuilt. —

James K. Galbraith, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

I had known Korologos when I was Solicitor General, and he was the Nixon White House's liaison to the Senate. He was a great support. —

Robert H. Bork, The Tempting of America, 1990

Gossip columnists began to infer from Evelyn's disappearances that she was engaging in reckless liaisons, and her name was linked with dozens of men around town. —

E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime, (1974) 1975

She acts as a liaison between the police department and city schools. Administrators need to maintain better liaison with employees. Administrators need to establish a close liaison with employees. He regretted his liaison with a woman from the office.

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The task of piecing together Johnson's life story was left to Amelia Boivin, the constituent liaison in the Pawtucket mayor's office. —

CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024 In 2022, Adams had appeared at the Election Integrity Network’s Georgia chapter launch and was described the following year as its state liaison in social media posts by other activists. —

Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2024 Part of that includes the 19-member Entertainment Industry Council, led by various industry leaders, to identify problems and create a film liaison in each city department. —

Kristen Lopez, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024 As the liaison between JumpShot’s leadership and its network of basketball advisors and investors, Martin will help influence the company’s strategic direction. —

Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liaison