participate
Americanverb (used without object)
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participates,
present (3rd person singular)
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participated,
past participle, past
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participating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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participates,
present (3rd person singular)
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participated,
past participle, past
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participating
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See share 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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participationnoun
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participatornoun
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participantadjective
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participativeadjective
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participatoryadjective
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unparticipatedadjective
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unparticipatingadjective
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unparticipativeadjective
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participatinglyadverb
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participativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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participatesimple
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participatessimple
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have participatedperfect
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has participatedperfect
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am participatingprogressive
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are participatingprogressive
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is participatingprogressive
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have been participatingperfect progressive
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has been participatingperfect progressive
Past
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participatedsimple
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had participatedperfect
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was participatingprogressive
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were participatingprogressive
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had been participatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of participate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin participātus “shared,” past participle of participāre “to share,” equivalent to particip- (stem of particeps ) “taking part, partner” ( see participle) + -āre, verb suffix
Explanation
If you take part in an activity or organization, you participate in it. For example, you participate in a conversation by listening to and talking with others, or you participate in a sport by joining a team and taking part in practices and games. You can use the verb participate to mean "be involved in" or "share in." Sometimes it is easy to figure out who participates in something — the runners in a race, the people waiting their turn to audition for a part in a play. Sometimes it isn't so obvious. If two students cause trouble but the teacher punishes the whole class, it might be that in not stopping the troublemakers, she views everyone as having participated — just being there means they were involved.
Vocabulary lists containing participate
On Your Mark, Get Set, Commence Your Life!
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Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
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A Résumé of Active Words
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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:
Private religious schools like St. Mary, a Catholic parish school in Littleton, are eligible to participate, but only if they accept all students regardless of religious values and practice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
They are also still expected to participate in the presentation on Saturday in Madrid at the European Society of Medical Oncology’s annual conference, which usually draws about 30,000 attendees.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The funding organization did not participate in designing the study, collecting or analyzing data, deciding whether to publish the findings, or preparing the manuscript.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
It is promising due process and even forbearance for those who participate in genuine acts of truth-telling.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026
“Did you participate in any extracurriculars at your old school?”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Tanden willingly participates in the roasting, and as a woman of color, she’s destined to be on the brunt end of the internet, but as far as she’s concerned, it’s all been worth it.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
ABHD5 then binds to ATGL, an enzyme that participates in the first stage of breaking down triglycerides stored inside the cell.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Humans are probably the only species on Earth that actively fantasizes about its own extinction — and definitely the only one that actively participates in it.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
German antitrust lawyer Fabian Vetter said the big lager companies’ control of the market seemed like a sketchy syndicate—one in which the Bavarian state itself participates, since it owns one of them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
It participates in the pathos appeal inasmuch as it stirs an audience’s emotions to laughter—but more importantly, it participates in the ethos appeal, inasmuch as laughter is based on a set of common assumptions.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Moderna and Merck’s cancer vaccine helped prevent the return of melanoma or death by 42% after about two years in patients who participated in the high-profile Phase 3 clinical trial.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Since the campus encampments, Columbia has been hosting “listening tables,” including one Mnookin participated in this Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Collins participated in the 2009 debate over Silverpit's origins and contributed the numerical simulations used in the new research.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Talarico pointed out that he had participated in campaign events via videoconference while suffering from the flu and also attended a concert in Dallas during the time in question.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Those were, Mr Charles recalls, strangely unnerving moments during which he too, despite not having participated in the preceding behaviour, felt engulfed with guilt.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
He is not participating due to his conflicts of interest, owning shares of both companies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
“I want them to be like, ‘Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I don’t want, and so let me avoid participating in that.’
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Witkoff's planned meeting with Putin on Wednesday would include Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner participating virtually, a US official told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The human study protocol, all amendments, and the informed consent form received approval from the Institutional Review Boards at the participating sites.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
“As to my participating in the administration,” Jefferson then observed, “if by that he meant the executive cabinet, both duty and inclination will shut that door to me.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
