introduction

American  

[in-truh-duhk-shuhn] / ˌɪn trəˈdʌk ʃən /

noun

1. the act of introducing or the state of being introduced.

2. a formal personal presentation of one person to another or others.

3. a preliminary part, as of a book, musical composition, or the like, leading up to the main part.

4. an elementary treatise.

   an introduction to botany.

5. an act or instance of inserting.

6. something introduced.

---

introduction British  

/ ˌɪntrəˈdʌkʃən /

noun

1. the act of introducing or fact of being introduced

2. a presentation of one person to another or others

3. a means of presenting a person to another person, group, etc, such as a letter of introduction or reference

4. a preliminary part, as of a book, speech, etc

5. music

   1. an instrumental passage preceding the entry of a soloist, choir, etc

   2. an opening passage in a movement or composition that precedes the main material

6. something that has been or is introduced, esp something that is not native to an area, country, etc

7. a basic or elementary work of instruction, reference, etc

8. logic (qualified by the name of an operation) a syntactic rule specifying the conditions under which a formula or statement containing the specified operator may be derived from others

   conjunction-introduction

   negation-introduction

---

Usage

What is an introduction? The introduction is the first section of an essay. It presents, or introduces, the essay topic and includes a thesis statement. Students are usually taught to write an essay in three parts, with the first part being the introduction, followed by the body and ending with a conclusion. The introduction is often considered to be the most important part of the essay because it summarizes the essay’s topic and introduces the thesis statement. The thesis statement presents the specific argument the essay will make or the main point the reader should take away. Outside of essays, introductions are also used in articles, opinion pieces, blog posts, research papers, and other types of writing to entice someone into reading the whole piece.

Related Words

Introduction, foreword, preface refer to material given at the front of a book to explain or introduce it to the reader. A foreword is part of the front matter and is usually written by someone other than the author, often an authority on the subject of the book. A preface is the author's own statement, and often includes acknowledgments. It follows the foreword (if there is one) and is also part of the front matter. The introduction is always by the author. It may be extensive and is usually printed as part of the text.

Other Word Forms

• reintroduction
  noun
• self-introduction
  noun
• subintroduction
  noun

Etymology

Origin of introduction

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English introduccion, from Latin intrōductiōn- (stem of intrōductiō ). See introduce, -tion

Explanation

An introduction refers to a beginning — maybe presenting someone new to a group, or inserting a new idea into a project. In a piece of writing, the introduction makes clear to the reader the text's purpose. The noun introduction comes from the Latin verb introducere, meaning "to lead in." This “leading in” might be the formal introduction of a speaker, or the speaker's own introduction to his remarks. Or it might be the insertion of a new and different idea, as in British politician Lord Hailsham's remark, "The introduction of religious passion into politics is the end of honest politics, and the introduction of politics into religion is the prostitution of true religion."

Example Sentences

On its website, Westfield Mall of the Netherlands announced "that the introduction of Swatch in collaboration with Audemars Piguet will NOT go ahead. The store will remain closed this weekend".

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

"We need a new Dagfinn Høybråten to get the whole population on board with this," said Wisløff, referring to the man who was the driver behind the introduction of the smoking ban in Norway.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

The introduction of Dries Van Noten’s Hand and Body line offers a new way to wear the brand.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Annoucing the new sites, Water Minister Emma Hardy said: "The introduction of these new bathing sites means better monitoring of our waterways, a boost for local tourism, and greater confidence for local swimmers."

From BBC • May 15, 2026

“Sherlock, this is Rosa,” I say, making the official introduction.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Related Words

• addition
• debut
• establishment
• inauguration
• influx
• initiation
• installation
• launch
• opening
• preface
• presentation