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liaison

noun

li·​ai·​son lē-ˈā-ˌzän How to pronounce liaison (audio) ˈlē-ə-ˌzän How to pronounce liaison (audio)
nonstandard
ˈlā-ə- How to pronounce liaison (audio)
1
: a binding or thickening agent used in cooking
a butter and flour liaison
2
a
: a close bond or connection : interrelationship
b
: an illicit sexual relationship : affair sense 3a
3
a
: communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation (as between parts of an armed force)
b
: a person who establishes and maintains communication for mutual understanding and cooperation
a press liaison
4
: 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 UChicago's current policy notes an on-call dean will serve as a liaison between protesters and campus security but emphasizes the university will not physically remove students or interfere with law enforcement. Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 11 Sep. 2024 Jolie's sons, Maddox, 23, and Pax, 20, both had jobs on the movie's Italian set in the assistant director department, which serves as a liaison between the film's director and the other departments of a movie. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024 While at City Hall, Jacobs served as the board treasurer of the Mayor’s Fund and also as a kind of liaison between the fund and Garcetti. Tom Dreisbach, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024 Rory, Coby and their liaison, a lackey named Scalvo (singer Jack Harlow, hammiest), will intercept the loot and bring it back to the kingpin. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for liaison 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liaison.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from lier, from Old French

First Known Use

circa 1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of liaison was circa 1665

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near liaison

Cite this Entry

“Liaison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liaison. Accessed 26 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

liaison

noun
li·​ai·​son ˈlē-ə-ˌzän How to pronounce liaison (audio) lē-ˈā- How to pronounce liaison (audio)
1
: a close connection
2
: communication especially between parts of an armed force
3
: a person who sets up or keeps up liaison

More from Merriam-Webster on liaison

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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