/əˈsoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
verb
to make a connection between people or things in your mind 联想；联系
I always associate the smell of baking with my childhood.
一闻到烘烤食物的味道，我就想起了童年。
adjective
(often in titles 常用于头衔) of a lower rank; having fewer rights in a particular profession or organization 非正式的；准的；副的associate membership of the European Union欧洲联盟的非正式会员身份an associate member/director/editor准会员；副导演；副主编