Meaning & use
liaison
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Meanings
noununcountableformal
Communication and cooperation between two groups or organizations so that they work well together.
Grammar: Usually followed by between or with: liaison between departments.
Patterns
- liaison between X and Y
- liaison with someone
Close liaison between the police and local schools reduced truancy.
The project failed because of poor liaison with the engineers.
Daily liaison keeps the two teams informed.
nouncountable
A person whose job is to keep two groups in contact and working together.
Grammar: Often shortened to just liaison in speech: the school liaison.
Patterns
- a liaison between X and Y
- a liaison with someone
She works as a liaison between the hospital and families.
The mayor named a liaison to deal with the neighborhood groups.
Our community liaison answers residents' questions.
nouncountableformaleuphemistic
A secret romantic or sexual relationship, usually outside marriage.
Grammar: Often found in news and fiction; sounds discreet.
Patterns
- a liaison with someone
Newspapers reported his secret liaison with an actress.
The novel centers on a dangerous liaison in nineteenth-century Paris.
Word forms
| plural | liaisons |
|---|
Common combinations
- liaison officer
- The liaison officer briefed the visiting delegation.
- act as liaison
- He acts as liaison between the company and its suppliers.
- community liaison
- The community liaison organized a town meeting.
- in liaison with
- The report was written in liaison with local experts.
- a secret liaison
- Their secret liaison lasted two years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- contact
- Contact is a general word for connection and has no sense of an organized link.
- go-between
- Go-between carries messages and may be informal, while liaison suggests a regular official role.
- coordination
- Coordination stresses organizing activities together, not just staying in touch.
- affair
- Affair is the plain word for a secret romantic relationship and is less polished than liaison.
Word family
- liaise verb
- to cooperate and exchange information with another group
- liaising noun
- the act of keeping in contact and working together
Commonly confused: liaison or alliance?
liaison vs alliance
An alliance is a formal agreement between groups to support each other. A liaison is a channel of communication or a person who provides it.
Practice
The company hired a ___ to keep in touch with the neighborhood groups.
Choose one answer.
A noun is needed after hired a, and liaison names the person who links two groups. Liaise is a verb and cannot follow a.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “liaison”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.