elicit
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to give rise to; evoke
to elicit a sharp retort
-
to bring to light
to elicit the truth
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have elicitedperfect
-
has elicitedperfect 3rd person singular
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am elicitingprogressive 1st person singular
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are elicitingprogressive
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is elicitingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been elicitingperfect progressive
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elicitingparticiple
-
has been elicitingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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elicitssingular 3rd person
Past
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had elicitedperfect
-
had been elicitingperfect progressive
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was elicitingprogressive singular
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elicitedparticiple
-
were elicitingprogressive plural
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elicitedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of elicit
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin ēlicitus “drawn out” (past participle of ēlicere ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” ( see e- 1) + lici- “draw, lure” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you elicit, you're bringing out a response of some sort. A good comedian elicits a lot of laughs. Elicit has to do with creating or provoking a response. A great speech will elicit cheers — a bad speech will elicit boos. Teachers try to elicit responses from students. If a friend smiles at you, it will probably elicit a smile of your own. In court, a lawyer might try to elicit mistakes and inconsistencies in the testimony of a witness. In all cases, whatever is elicited is some kind of response.
Vocabulary lists containing elicit
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Some Tricky Homonyms
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Grade 11, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the time, watching these videos didn’t elicit nausea or repulsion in Jemima—they came across as amusing.
From Slate • May 12, 2026
Crucially at the time I was not able to elicit acute psychotic symptoms.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
“I think the question is fair but I don’t think Warsh has done anything to elicit any particular concern,” Marcus said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
From the first notes of its new single “Specter” — a brooding vocal workout for Sebastian that ended on pulverizing riffs — Bad Omens used cutting-edge tools and underground influence to elicit arena-rock catharsis.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
As I was preparing for this book, I wrote an article for The Daily Telegraph, hoping to elicit a few punctuation horror stories, and it was like detonating a dam.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
