establish

American  

[ih-stab-lish] / ɪˈstæb lɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

• establishes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• established,
  past participle,  past
• establishing
  present participle

1. 

   to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis.

   to establish a university; to establish a medical practice.

   Synonyms:

   organize, form

   Antonyms:

   abolish

2. to install or settle in a position, place, business, etc..

   to establish one's child in business.

3. to show to be valid or true; prove.

   to establish the facts of the matter.

   Synonyms:

   substantiate, verify

   Antonyms:

   disprove

4. to cause to be accepted or recognized.

   to establish a custom; She established herself as a leading surgeon.

5. to bring about permanently.

   to establish order.

6. to enact, appoint, or ordain for permanence, as a law; fix unalterably.

   Synonyms:

   decree

7. to make (a church) a national or state institution.

8. Cards. to obtain control of (a suit) so that one can win all the subsequent tricks in it.

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establish British  

/ ɪˈstæblɪʃ /

verb

1. to make secure or permanent in a certain place, condition, job, etc

   to establish one's usefulness

   to establish a house

2. to create or set up (an organization, etc) on or as if on a permanent basis

   to establish a company

3. to prove correct or free from doubt; validate

   to establish a fact

4. to cause (a principle, theory, etc) to be widely or permanently accepted

   to establish a precedent

5. to give (a Church) the status of a national institution

6. (of a person) to become recognized and accepted

   he established himself as a reliable GP

7. (in works of imagination) to cause (a character, place, etc) to be credible and recognized

   the first scene established the period

8. cards to make winners of (the remaining cards of a suit) by forcing out opponents' top cards

9. (also intr) botany

   1. to cause (a plant) to grow or (of a plant) to grow in a new place

      the birch scrub has established over the past 25 years

   2. to become or cause to become a sapling or adult plant from a seedling

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Synonym Usage

See fix.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• establisher
  noun
• reestablish
  verb (used with object)
• superestablish
  verb (used with object)
• establishable
  adjective
• unestablishable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• establishing
  present
• established
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• establish
  simple
• establishes
  simple
• have established
  perfect
• has established
  perfect
• am establishing
  progressive
• are establishing
  progressive
• is establishing
  progressive
• have been establishing
  perfect progressive
• has been establishing
  perfect progressive

Past

• established
  simple
• had established
  perfect
• was establishing
  progressive
• were establishing
  progressive
• had been establishing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will establish
  simple
• will have established
  perfect
• will be establishing
  progressive
• will have been establishing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of establish

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English establissen, establishen, from Middle French establiss-, extended stem of establir, from Latin stabilīre, derivative of stabilis stable ²

Explanation

To establish something means to begin it or bring it about. If you want everyone in your family to bring you chocolate every evening, you can establish a “Chocolates for Me” policy requiring it. Establish is related to stable through its Latin roots and has many meanings, but all have the feel of building on a stable foundation. Besides the meaning of setting a policy, establish can also mean to prove one's value. You should establish yourself in a community before you try to bring change to it. Similarly, if you like to debate controversial issues, you'd best begin with facts that have been established and are not open to question. If you have a lot of money and want to build up your community, you can establish, or found, a school or library there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

establish establishes established establishing

What scientists still need to establish is whether those biochemical differences translate into important differences in long-term health.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

"You are trying to establish answers yourself - but it takes you down a maze of rabbit holes," he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Jaguar executive Rawdon Glover told you that the brand’s 2024 teaser video and concept car were just meant to establish a “conceptual world.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"What we want is to establish an open and transparent profit-sharing system," Lin said, rejecting the company’s one-off bonus, which he said left employees "at the mercy of management".

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

The two had a correspondence in the 1670s, making it very difficult to establish how they influenced each other.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Although the settlement establishes a workforce fund to retrain displaced workers, lawyers note it does not block job cuts.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The heavy institutional buying establishes a firm price floor, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

"Our new work establishes that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic," Susan Schiffman said when the findings were announced in 2023.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

Senate Bill 813, establishes a framework for independent verification organizations that can assess AI systems and models for compliance with state law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

When the experimental method is successful in explaining what was previously inexplicable, it thus not only establishes particular scientific theories, it also confirms the validity of the general approach which underpins experimentation.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

In addition to film screenings, the venue will host masterclasses, industry panels, and live performances by established and emerging talent.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Researchers also established the new genus Laurinque specifically for the species.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius was chosen as the agency's home, partly due to its established financial services industry.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Hey Arnold!” built on the narrative foundation the group had established on their previous show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The PIH-er called back with the name of an international entity called the Green Light Committee, established to control the distribution of a vaccine for meningitis.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Together, the three investigations will address some of the most important challenges of establishing a sustained human presence beyond Earth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Only the FBI responded, declining to comment and instead directing us to a past statement that said its focus remained on establishing the facts around the Tice case and securing his return.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Although Mexican authorities detected irregularities in some accounts managed by the firms, they found no evidence establishing links to criminal organizations, Sheinbaum said last week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Bakker put down roots quickly, establishing his Morningside Church and a studio for “The Jim Bakker Show.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The Spartans held Athens and Thebes by establishing oligarchies there; yet they lost them both.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• authorize
• base
• build
• create
• enact
• form
• found
• inaugurate
• install
• institute
• provide
• put
• settle
• start