innovate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.
to innovate a computer operating system.
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Archaic. to alter.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have innovatedperfect
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have been innovatingperfect progressive
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has innovatedperfect 3rd person singular
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am innovatingprogressive 1st person singular
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is innovatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been innovatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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innovatessingular 3rd person
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innovatingparticiple
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are innovatingprogressive
Past
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had innovatedperfect
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was innovatingprogressive singular
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had been innovatingperfect progressive
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innovatedsimple
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innovatedparticiple
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were innovatingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of innovate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin innovātus, past participle of innovāre “to renew, alter,” equivalent to in- intensive prefix + novātus, past participle of novā(re) “to renew,” verbal derivative of novus “new” + -tus past participle suffix); see in- 2, new
Explanation
Innovate means to bring something new to something. If you love cranberry seltzers, you might innovate by adding limeade or by making the drink with cran-raspberry juice instead. In our culture obsessed with finding the next new thing, the word innovate is very popular––behind every "new and improved" label slapped onto the packaging of some perfectly useful product is some eager beaver buried in the ranks of a company, scheming ways to innovate.
Vocabulary lists containing innovate
A Résumé of Active Words
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Academic Vocabulary, Units 4–6
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Chirp
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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.
The markets, guided by the incentive to innovate, should decide how railroads organize their work.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Aggressive subsidies in the country have also led to huge growth in the number of carmakers, forcing firms to cut their prices and innovate to win over customers.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
“We always want to innovate and test. That’s something that was exciting to us to think about bringing our audience new content in different places.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
"The industry has to innovate and leapfrog, and not just copy and paste China," he said.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
It is not indeed possible to make a law which does not innovate, more or less, in the government.
From The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part F. From Charles II. to James II. by Hume, David
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.
