communicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to impart knowledge of; make known.
to communicate information;
to communicate one's happiness.
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to give to another; impart; transmit.
to communicate a disease.
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to administer the Eucharist to.
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Archaic. to share in or partake of.
verb (used without object)
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to give or interchange thoughts, feelings, information, or the like, by writing, speaking, etc..
They communicate with each other every day.
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to express thoughts, feelings, or information easily or effectively.
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to be joined or connected.
The rooms communicated by means of a hallway.
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to partake of the Eucharist.
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Obsolete. to take part or participate.
verb
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to impart (knowledge) or exchange (thoughts, feelings, or ideas) by speech, writing, gestures, etc
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to allow (a feeling, emotion, etc) to be sensed (by), willingly or unwillingly; transmit (to)
the dog communicated his fear to the other animals
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(intr) to have a sympathetic mutual understanding
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to make or have a connecting passage or route; connect
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(tr) to transmit (a disease); infect
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(intr) Christianity to receive or administer Communion
Synonym Usage
Communicate, impart denote giving to a person or thing a part or share of something, now usually something immaterial, as knowledge, thoughts, hopes, qualities, or properties. Communicate, the more common word, implies often an indirect or gradual transmission: to communicate information by means of letters, telegrams, etc.; to communicate one's wishes to someone else. Impart usually implies directness of action: to impart information.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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communicatornoun
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overcommunicateverb
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precommunicateverb
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communicatoryadjective
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noncommunicatingadjective
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uncommunicatingadjective
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well-communicatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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communicatesimple
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communicatessimple
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have communicatedperfect
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has communicatedperfect
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am communicatingprogressive
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are communicatingprogressive
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is communicatingprogressive
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have been communicatingperfect progressive
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has been communicatingperfect progressive
Past
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communicatedsimple
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had communicatedperfect
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was communicatingprogressive
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were communicatingprogressive
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had been communicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of communicate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin commūnicātus “imparted,” past participle of commūnicāre “to impart, make common,” equivalent to commūn(is) common + -icāre, verb suffix
Explanation
To communicate is to exchange words, feelings, or information with others. They did communicate through texting and picture sharing, but the hug he gave his mom when he came home from college communicated more love than any instant message. There are countless ways to communicate! Using an exclamation point in the first sentence is a way to communicate excitement at the many ways to use communicate. A facial expression can communicate joy or anger, and something written can communicate ideas and instructions. Cave men learned to communicate by drawing on cave walls, and people in modern times communicate electronically. Up close or far away, humans and animals — and some would say extraterrestrials, too — are born to communicate.
Vocabulary lists containing communicate
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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STAAR Grade 7 Reading: The Language of the Test, List 1
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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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:
With no solutions in sight, oil producers have little choice but to try to communicate goodwill to the administration—and play the role of whipping boy as the crisis endures, observers say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Washington, though, remains a major ally of Kyiv, providing it notably with intelligence and access to the Starlink satellite system that allows its frontline troops to communicate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sometimes, when Wallace cannot effectively communicate with coaches or teammates, he enlists the help of his interpreter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Because of this, platonic marriages can often end amicably. The couple may be able to communicate effectively about the intricacies of their case without the emotional pain that often comes with divorce.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“But how does he communicate? Does he speak?”
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
Mayor Karen Bass’ press relations office communicates through WhatsApp messages that auto-delete every 24 hours, potentially shielding the messages from public records requests, according to three sources familiar with the office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Serotonin communicates by attaching to receptors on a cell's surface.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Warsh, who has outlined plans for five task forces to review how the Fed operates and communicates, said he took “incredible comfort” from his colleagues’ willingness to “go back to first principles.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
He hasn't done himself any favours with the way he communicates in public – easily irritable and brash.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
It communicates partly by implying meanings through pose, facial expression, allegory, and the like.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
The order sending the case to trial was signed on Friday and the decision communicated to the parties on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bass herself has also communicated through disappearing messages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Our performance skills in thousands of domains cannot be communicated to machines," he explains.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
She communicated her decision in a note to staff Thursday, saying that her medical condition had worsened and her road to recovery would be much longer than anticipated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
"No, sir, I haven't communicated with them, because I'll probably see them Wednesday night when I get home."
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
The Calamos team tries to identify companies at ideal stages of their growth cycles through “a combination of database screens, interaction of company management teams and studying sell-side analysts models and communicating with sell-side analysts.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Brain regions that had not been communicating properly shifted toward more typical patterns.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Now, which has been communicating with neighborhood residents about conditions around the warehouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
And communicating with underwater drones is particularly hard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Watching through binoculars, communicating over walkie-talkies, they tracked the secretary of defense’s car across the campus.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
