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liaison officer: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

C1/C2 (Low frequency, specialized term)
UK/liˈeɪ.zɒn ˈɒf.ɪ.sə(r)/US/ˈliː.ə.zɑːn ˈɑː.fɪ.sər/

Formal, Professional, Bureaucratic, Military

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Quick answer

What does “liaison officer” mean?

A person who acts as a link to facilitate communication and cooperation between organizations, groups, or departments.

Audio

Pronunciation

Definition

Meaning and Definition

A person who acts as a link to facilitate communication and cooperation between organizations, groups, or departments.

A role designed to bridge gaps in understanding, protocol, or process, often in contexts requiring coordination, such as military operations, public relations, or community engagement.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

More common in British official and military contexts (e.g., 'Police Liaison Officer'). In the US, synonymous terms like 'liaison' or 'point of contact' are often used, but 'liaison officer' is standard in formal/military jargon.

Connotations

UK: Strongly associated with public services and official community roles. US: Heavily weighted towards military, corporate, and governmental inter-agency contexts.

Frequency

Higher frequency in UK public-facing roles; similar frequency in US/UK in military and diplomatic contexts.

Grammar

How to Use “liaison officer” in a Sentence

[N] liaison officer between [ORG1] and [ORG2][N] liaison officer for [PURPOSE/COMMUNITY][N] liaison officer with [ORG]

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong
military liaison officerpolice liaison officercommunity liaison officerappoint a liaison officerserve as a liaison officer
medium
public liaison officermedia liaison officerliaison officer between X and Ykey liaison officerofficial liaison officer
weak
temporary liaison officerproject liaison officerliaison officer dutiesformer liaison officer

Examples

Examples of “liaison officer” in a Sentence

verb

British English

  • The department heads will liaise regularly.
  • We need someone to liaise with the contractors.

American English

  • Her job is to liaise between marketing and engineering.
  • The agent will liaise directly with the client.

adjective

British English

  • She has a key liaison role.
  • The liaison committee meets monthly.

American English

  • He was given liaison duties.
  • We established a liaison function within the team.

Usage

Meaning in Context

Business

A liaison officer was assigned to smooth the integration process between the merging IT departments.

Academic

The research project employed a liaison officer to coordinate between the university ethics board and the field teams.

Everyday

After the incident, the council sent a community liaison officer to address residents' concerns.

Technical

The NATO liaison officer embedded with the allied force ensured seamless communication of tactical intelligence.

Vocabulary

Synonyms of “liaison officer”

Strong

point of contact (POC)coordinator

Weak

link personinterfacecontact

Vocabulary

Antonyms of “liaison officer”

isolated unitsiloed departmentindependent operator

Watch out

Common Mistakes When Using “liaison officer”

  • Using 'liaison' as a verb for the person (e.g., 'He is the liaison between us' is correct; 'He liaisons between us' uses the verb).
  • Confusing 'liaison officer' with 'public relations officer'; the former focuses on connection, the latter on image.
  • Misspelling as 'liason officer' (missing the second 'i').

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

No. While common in the military, the term is widely used in corporate, governmental, NGO, and community contexts for any official linking role.

A liaison officer facilitates communication and coordination but does not necessarily negotiate agreements. A mediator's primary role is to help conflicting parties reach a settlement.

Yes, in many professional contexts (e.g., 'He is our liaison with the ministry'). 'Officer' is often omitted when the formal title isn't required.

Yes, the verb 'to liaise' (pronounced /liˈeɪz/) is a standard back-formation from 'liaison' and is core professional vocabulary, especially in British English.

A person who acts as a link to facilitate communication and cooperation between organizations, groups, or departments.

Liaison officer is usually formal, professional, bureaucratic, military in register.

Liaison officer: in British English it is pronounced /liˈeɪ.zɒn ˈɒf.ɪ.sə(r)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈliː.ə.zɑːn ˈɑː.fɪ.sər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think: LIAISON sounds like 'linking in a son(g)' – an officer who links or connects different groups in harmony.

Conceptual Metaphor

A HUMAN BRIDGE / A COMMUNICATION CONDUIT / A DIPLOMATIC INTERFACE

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap
During the joint military exercise, each national contingent was assigned a to ensure clear communication with the central command.
Multiple Choice

In which context is the term 'liaison officer' LEAST likely to be used?

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