introduction

American  

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

noun

• introductions
  plural

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.

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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

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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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• reintroduction
  noun
• self-introduction
  noun
• subintroduction
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• introductions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

introduction introductions

Azerbaijan side Sabah are very interesting - a success based on organisation - but trips to Arsenal and Manchester United and home games against Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund is a tough introduction.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

And then the introduction of Starlink into the airline in the early part of next year, I think is a real game-changer for Frontier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Perhaps a 10th album, released 20 years later, will be self-titled and need no formal introduction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Dame Rachel called unpaid carer's leave to be increased from five to 10 days a year, and for the introduction of a form of paid carer's leave.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The most important outcome of these hearings was the introduction of Victoria Woodhull as one of the new voices of the women’s suffrage movement.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

So he paid up and the introductions began.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

They can pursue certifications tied directly to the role they want, shadow professionals, undertake projects that produce work samples and contact alumni for advice and introductions.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

She did not take the role lightly, Ziering said, noting she watched cuts and took notes, made introductions and brought people to screenings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

They point to the long history of invasive species on Earth as evidence that even seemingly small biological introductions can produce major ecological disruptions.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

She says we’ll jump right into getting to know each other, but since this is a writing class, we’ll write our introductions instead of saying them.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Related Words

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