Learn English – “Associate with [someone]” for “socialize with [someone]” in colloquial AE

american-englishcolloquialismsusagevocabulary

What's the difference in AE between saying "I like to associate with new folks" and "I like to socialize with new folks"?

E.g.

I am a positive person and I like to associate with other positive persons. source

I like to socialize with new people. source

I like to associate with people on the same term as I do in my own country. source

I like to socialize with my dog, and I have a cat… source

I like to associate with other people. source

If it all means pretty much the same, is there one of these expressions that sounds more typical of AE than other English dialects?

Best Answer

The specific dictionary entries show that "associate" completely encompasses "socialize", so you can use them interchangeably without fear of being misunderstood:

socialize — take part in social activities: to take part in social activities, or behave in a friendly way to others

associate

  1. connect things in mind: to connect one thing with another in the mind
  2. pass time with somebody: to spend time together with somebody
  3. mix socially or professionally: to be involved with somebody or something in a personal or professional capacity

But "associate" and "socialize" do carry slightly different connotations due to associate's first definition. When describing someone who associates with a particular group of people the connotation is that they are "associated with" that group:

I want to be associated with intelligent people. / I want to associate with intelligent people.

I want to be with intelligent people. / I want to socialize with intelligent people.

This difference is subtle, but here is how it effects two of your specific examples:

I am a positive person and I like to associate with other positive persons.

This person wants to be around and be associated with positive people.

I like to socialize with new people.

This person likes to be with new people. You could use "associate" here and it would have the exact same meaning -- it is unlikely you could really be associated with new people.