Affiliates

v. join with; join in a social or business relationship; connect to; merge; become attached to; receive someone as a member; find the origins of

n. associate, subsidiary, partner, affiliated group or organization, person who is affiliated

An affiliate is a commercial entity with a relationship with a peer or a larger entity.
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Noun
1. a subordinate or subsidiary associate; a person who is affiliated with another or with an organization
(hypernym) associate
2. a subsidiary or subordinate organization that is affiliated with another organization; "network affiliates"
(hypernym) organization, organisation
Verb
1. join in an affiliation; "They affiliated themselves with the organization"
(hypernym) join, fall in, get together
(derivation) affiliation, association, tie, tie-up
2. keep company with; hang out with; "He associates with strange people"; "She affiliates with her colleagues"
(synonym) consort, associate, assort
(hypernym) interact
(hyponym) ally
3. join in an affiliation; "The two colleges affiliated"
(hypernym) join, fall in, get together
(derivation) affiliation, association, tie, tie-up

v. affiliate, join with

Business concerns, organizations, or individuals are affiliates of each other if, directly or indirectly, (a) either one has the power to control the other, or (b) a third party controls or has the power to control both.

Elements of control include, in part, interlocking management or ownership, identity of interests among family members, shared facilities and equipment, common use of employees, or a business entity organized following its desolution which has the same or similar management, ownership, or principal employees as the entity that was dissolved.