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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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web As a student, Pearson served as the chapter president of Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically Black fraternity, and helped secure a liaison position with campus police to represent the concerns of Black students, according to a university profile of him. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2022 According to Jess Johnson, legislative liaison and advocacy coordinator at the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, as few as one-third of wildlife-vehicle collisions are reported. — Ashley Stimpson, Popular Mechanics, 28 Mar. 2022 These are the most trusted members on the roster, the voice of the locker room with the power to discipline their peers while serving as a de facto liaison with the coaching staff. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 25 Mar. 2022 In addition to earning two master’s degrees in a Bedford Hills, New York, prison, Smart has tutored fellow inmates, has been ordained as a minister, and is part of an inmate liaison committee. — Sarah Rumpf, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2022 The company’s liaison in the village is also offering tours of its air monitoring site in the community. — Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2022 Bowen said Moore will work on the defensive side of the ball and will be the Arizona high school liaison and director of ACU's cub team. — Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2022 Roché’s liaison with Wood was torrid but short-lived, lasting about two months in 1916. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 Democrats, for their part, appreciated his attentiveness to them, particularly in his role as congressional liaison. — Emily Langer, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2022 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'liaison.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback .
First Known Use of liaison
circa 1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1
History and Etymology for liaison
French, from Middle French, from lier, from Old French
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