induct
Americanverb (used with object)
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inducts,
present (3rd person singular)
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inducted,
past participle, past
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inducting
present participle
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to install in an office, benefice, position, etc., especially with formal ceremonies.
The committee inducted her as president.
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to introduce, especially to something requiring special knowledge or experience; initiate (usually followed by to orinto ).
They inducted him into the mystic rites of the order.
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to take (a draftee) into military service; draft.
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to bring in as a member.
to induct a person into a new profession.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inductsimple
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inductssimple
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have inductedperfect
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has inductedperfect
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am inductingprogressive
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are inductingprogressive
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is inductingprogressive
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have been inductingperfect progressive
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has been inductingperfect progressive
Past
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inductedsimple
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had inductedperfect
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was inductingprogressive
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were inductingprogressive
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had been inductingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of induct
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin inductus, past participle of indūcere, equivalent to induc- “to introduce, lead in” + -tus past participle suffix; see induce
Explanation
Induct is what groups do when they formally accept new members, like the honor societies that, every school year, induct students who meet the qualifications. When you induct someone into a group, you formally welcome him or her as a member. The word is typically used to describe official acceptance of a position or admittance into an organization, such as a professional society. It can also be used to describe someone who has formally enrolled in the military. Don't use it for informal joining, though — you wouldn't induct a new friend or be inducted at the gym where you have just started a membership.
Vocabulary lists containing induct
Lead the Way: Duc and Duct
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The Glass Menagerie
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 30–November 5, 2021
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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:
The carrier was expected to induct dozens of new planes to its fleet, but deliveries are running late because of supply chain shortages, which has upended the replacement schedule.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
I stand by all of this—until the unlikely event someone wants to induct me into a Hall of Fame, in which case I think it’s a fabulous idea, thank you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
Following Browne’s spirited rendition of his 1977 hit “Running on Empty,” Springsteen took the stage to induct Mellencamp into the American Music Honors.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2024
Lionel Richie helped induct him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2023
Papa talked him out of volunteering; Woody waited for the army to induct him.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
The Gorsedd inducts new members each year who have contributed to Welsh life.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2024
The Country Music Hall of Fame inducts a songwriter every third year alongside the artist inductions.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 3, 2023
Jackson Browne inducts singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin; blues legend Buddy Guy is inducted by old friend and fellow blues icon Jimmie Vaughan, and Sean Penn inducts Lyle Lovett.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2019
Yet when the Baseball Hall of Fame inducts him next Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y.,
From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2017
Ruebetsahl is from Frankfort, Germany, whence he brings an enthusiasm for music and philosophy, into which he inducts his newly found friends.
From A Biography of Sidney Lanier by Edwin Mims
He was in the first class inducted into the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
ZZ Top, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, has continued touring throughout North America, Europe and South America.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“It’s crazy when Phil Spector produces your record and you still don’t have a top ten record,” Eddie Vedder mentioned when he inducted the Ramones into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
His feats as a coach and administrator earned him a place in Australia's sports hall of fame, where he was inducted in 1989.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
His youth and slight frame reminded Cora of the engineer of her last train trip, inducted by circumstance into the work of men.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Perhaps most striking of all was how many female volunteers brought along their young daughters, inducting new generations of women into anticolonial politics.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025
When it came to Fogerty, Springsteen didn’t mince words while inducting one of American music’s most prolific singer-songwriters.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2025
It’s like inducting Mike Trout into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
Cleveland State University plans to further honor Newman in November by inducting him into the law school’s hall of fame.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2023
The reaction was so violent that after inducting Mrs. Wallack into the mysteries of her desk she remained in bed, prostrate, for two days.
From The Sisters-In-Law by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
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.
