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an organization of people with a common purpose and having a formal structure.
the act of or state of being .
friendship; companionship:
Their close association did not last long.
connection or combination.
the connection or relation of ideas, feelings, sensations, etc.; correlation of elements of perception, reasoning, or the like.
an idea, image, feeling, etc., suggested by or connected with something other than itself; an accompanying thought, emotion, or the like; an overtone or connotation:
My associations with that painting are of springlike days.
Ecology. a group of plants of one or more species living together under uniform environmental conditions and having a uniform and distinctive aspect.
Chemistry. a weak form of chemical bonding involving aggregation of molecules of the same compound.
.
Astronomy, .
Contemporary Examples

It was glitz by association, a classic case study on how to package foreign stars as A-list American celebrities.
Beckham’s American Dream Dashed Grant Wahl August 16, 2009

Treating a woman decently right up to the end of your association with her is the best way to prevent relationship blowback.
How Not to Manage a Harem Tracy Quan December 7, 2009

Because of that association, pencils are often painted yellow.
You Can Indeed Judge a Book By Its Cover Brian Gresko November 19, 2013

According to Maddow, this is not guilt by association, but guilt by choice, and not a smart move for either Palin or her party.
Top 8 Moments From Sunday Talk Shows The Daily Beast Video October 3, 2009

Delta is a Platinum Global Partner, ranking them among the highest-level contributors to the association.
How You Can Help Make a More LGBT-Friendly World December 11, 2014

Historical Examples

association of ideas is a nursing mother to the fertility of authorship.
Calamities and Quarrels of Authors Isaac Disraeli

It was formed, in fact, by the Articles of association in 1774.
United States Presidents’ Inaugural Speeches Various

During the year the membership of the association more than doubled.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume VI Various

Her eyes were so blue that but for the association he would have called her Sapphira.
Weighed and Wanting George MacDonald

Would our great lords tolerate, even for a few hours, the association with honest fellows of this stamp?
The Fortunes Of Glencore Charles James Lever

noun
a group of people having a common purpose or interest; a society or club
the act of associating or the state of being associated
friendship or companionship: their association will not last
a mental connection of ideas, feelings, or sensations: association of revolution with bloodshed
(psychol) the mental process of linking ideas so that the recurrence of one idea automatically recalls the other See also free association
(chem) the formation of groups of molecules and ions, esp in liquids, held together by weak chemical bonds
(ecology) a group of similar plants that grow in a uniform environment and contain one or more dominant species
n.

1530s, “action of coming together,” from Medieval Latin associationem (nominative associatio), noun of action from past participle stem of associare (see associate). Meaning “a body of persons with a common purpose” is from 1650s. Meaning “mental connection” is from 1680s; that of “quality or thing called to mind by something else” is from 1810.

association as·so·ci·a·tion (ə-sō’sē-ā’shən, -shē-)
n.

A connection of persons, things, or ideas by some common factor; union.

A functional connection of two ideas, events, or psychological phenomena established through learning or experience.

association
(ə-sō’sē-ā’shən, -shē-)
A large number of organisms in a specific geographic area constituting a community with one or two dominant species.