inaugurate
Americanverb (used with object)
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inaugurates,
present (3rd person singular)
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inaugurated,
past participle, past
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inaugurating
present participle
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to make a formal beginning of; initiate; commence; begin.
The end of World War II inaugurated the era of nuclear power.
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to induct into office with formal ceremonies; install.
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to introduce into public use by some formal ceremony.
Airmail service between Washington, D.C., and New York City was inaugurated in 1918.
verb
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to commence officially or formally; initiate
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to place in office formally and ceremonially; induct
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to open ceremonially; dedicate formally
to inaugurate a factory
Usage
What does inaugurate mean? Inaugurate most generally means to formally or officially take action to begin something. Close synonyms are the verbs initiate and commence. More specifically, inaugurate means to officially induct someone into a position with a formal ceremony. A close synonym of this sense of the word is install. The noun inauguration refers to the process of inaugurating or a ceremony in which a person or thing is inaugurated. Things involving or related to inauguration can be described with the adjective inaugural. U. S. presidents are inaugurated—officially inducted into office and sworn in—on Inauguration Day, on which they usually give their inaugural address (speech). Inaugurate can also mean to introduce something into use with a formal ceremony. A new factory or public building might be inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony or a dedication ceremony, for example. In every sense of the word, inaugurate implies at least some formality. Its general sense—meaning to initiate or commence—is typically used in the context of events considered important, such as historical eras, as in The rise of the empire inaugurated a period of renewed warfare. Example: In the U. S., presidents are elected in November, but their terms don’t officially begin until they are inaugurated in January.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inaugurationnoun
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inauguratornoun
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preinaugurateverb (used with object)
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reinaugurateverb (used with object)
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inauguratoryadjective
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uninauguratedadjective
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well-inauguratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inauguratesimple
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inauguratessimple
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have inauguratedperfect
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has inauguratedperfect
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am inauguratingprogressive
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are inauguratingprogressive
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is inauguratingprogressive
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have been inauguratingperfect progressive
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has been inauguratingperfect progressive
Past
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inauguratedsimple
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had inauguratedperfect
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was inauguratingprogressive
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were inauguratingprogressive
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had been inauguratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inaugurate
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin inaugurātus, past participle of inaugurāre “to consecrate by augury (a person chosen for priesthood or other office),” literally, “to take auguries”); see in- 2, augur 1, -ate 1
Explanation
To inaugurate means to start something, to give it a kick off. The opening day pep rally inaugurates the high school football season. Inaugurate comes from the Latin word augur, which means taking signs from birds, or telling the future. The Romans would always look for good omens to mark the beginning of something — a war, or a new emperor’s reign — so inaugurate became linked to new beginnings. While inaugurate has long been used in formal contexts, such as the swearing-in ceremony that inaugurates a President's term in office, the word is now also used casually. You might inaugurate your marathon training with a long run.
Vocabulary lists containing inaugurate
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The Namesake
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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.
See Examples For:
Finally, from 5,000 years ago, the Corded Ware people expanded out of the Russian steppe to inaugurate the European bronze age.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026
To inaugurate his new enterprise, Woods commissioned a portrait.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Thursday gathers allies to inaugurate the "Board of Peace," his new institution focused on progress on Gaza but whose ambitions reach much further.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
Interestingly, she isn't the first Muslim person to be invited to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara festival.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
The nation’s capital city was getting ready to inaugurate a new president the following month.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Some of AI’s top names, including OpenAI’s Chief Executive Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, are expected to be present in India’s capital when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the summit on Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
“Americans in Paris” inaugurates the university’s relocated and renamed art space; it has moved from Washington Square, where it was known as the Grey Art Gallery, several blocks east, to Cooper Square.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
Last week, Francis coughed repeatedly as he presided over Ash Wednesday services at a Roman church, and opted not to participate in the traditional procession that inaugurates the church’s Lenten season.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
He won’t be back until October, when he inaugurates the orchestra’s fall season with a celebration of Frank Gehry and the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
In those two Names, Son of God and Son of Man, declaratory of the two natures of Emmanuel, He separates Himself from the Jewish Dispensation, in which He was born, and inaugurates the New Covenant.
From An Essay In Aid Of A Grammar Of Assent by John Henry Newman
Cuban music lovers inaugurated a Beatles film festival, with fans in Italy, Russia and Greece finding their own ways for commemorating The Beatles’ special place in their lives.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday brushed off suggestions that President Donald Trump was regularly dozing off during Cabinet meetings, as questions persist over the health of the oldest US president ever inaugurated.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Manzo, not wearing his bullet-resistant vest, held Carlitos in his arms as he inaugurated the event.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Instead, the former official said Downing Street had been "uninterested" in vetting, and there were time pressures to complete the process before Donald Trump was inaugurated as US president in January 2025.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
She was there when John A. Andrew was inaugurated Governor of Massachusetts.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
At the ceremony inaugurating the museum, Kim, who was accompanied by Russian officials, praised his troops’ “noble sacrifices and heroic military feats.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini is inaugurating infrastructure every week.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
During his visit, Widodo is inaugurating several construction projects in Nusantara, including a water reservoir.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
Over the past decade, he has been photographed inaugurating countless projects, meeting supporters, snorkelling, and even meditating in a cave after the 2019 election campaign.
From BBC ● May 16, 2024
On the riverfront the Renaissance Center was being built, inaugurating a renaissance that has never arrived.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
