initiator
Britishnoun
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a person or thing that initiates
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chem a substance that starts a chain reaction
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chem an explosive used in detonators
Other Word Forms
Explanation
The initiator is the one who starts it, whatever it is. The guy who shouts "Let's get this party started!" is the initiator. An initiator is an instigator, the one who begins something. Initiator comes from the Latin initiare, meaning “beginning.” The spark that lights the fuse is the initiator of the bomb’s explosion. John F. Kennedy was the initiator of the US Peace Corps. Hockey players are expert initiators of fights that, if happening on the street, would often result in the arrests of the participants.
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.
In the Senate Johnson staked another claim to being the Great Initiator by introducing his own civil rights bill, similar to a measure the Justice Department is preparing.
From Time Magazine Archive
Initiator of last week's talks: Jose Gustavo Guerrero, president of the International Court of Justice and Central America's leading internationalist.
From Time Magazine Archive
All the heroes are sons of Hermes, for he is the Master and Initiator of spiritual chivalry.
From Dreams and Dream Stories by Kingsford, Anna Bonus
The House of Justice is both the Initiator and the Abrogator of its own laws.
From Bahá’í World Faith by `Abdu'l-Bahá
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.
