elicit
Americanverb (used with object)
-
elicits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
elicited,
past participle, past
-
eliciting
present participle
verb
-
to give rise to; evoke
to elicit a sharp retort
-
to bring to light
to elicit the truth
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
elicitsimple
-
elicitssimple
-
have elicitedperfect
-
has elicitedperfect
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am elicitingprogressive
-
are elicitingprogressive
-
is elicitingprogressive
-
have been elicitingperfect progressive
-
has been elicitingperfect progressive
Past
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elicitedsimple
-
had elicitedperfect
-
was elicitingprogressive
-
were elicitingprogressive
-
had been elicitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of elicit
First recorded in 1635–45; from Latin ēlicitus “drawn out” (past participle of ēlicere ), equivalent to ē- “from, out of” ( see e- 1) + lici- “draw, lure” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
When you elicit, you're bringing out a response of some sort. A good comedian elicits a lot of laughs. Elicit has to do with creating or provoking a response. A great speech will elicit cheers — a bad speech will elicit boos. Teachers try to elicit responses from students. If a friend smiles at you, it will probably elicit a smile of your own. In court, a lawyer might try to elicit mistakes and inconsistencies in the testimony of a witness. In all cases, whatever is elicited is some kind of response.
Vocabulary lists containing elicit
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Some Tricky Homonyms
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Grade 11, 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:
Unfortunately, the underwhelming revelations don’t elicit the tears Kore-eda regularly wrings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Because since then, I’ve found myself thinking about all the other frozen things that can elicit the same feeling: not resignation, not emergency, not the sad little archaeology of dinners past, but anticipation.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Styles can elicit screams just by adjusting the collar of his shirt and his stage for this tour is designed to let as many people get close and personal as possible.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
AI cannot read the news to discern either the meaning of news or the emotions it will likely elicit.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
It felt a little bougie, the kind of thing that would elicit a skeptical side eye from my South Side relatives.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Empathy, on stage, becomes a cornerstone of experiencing live performance that pulls heartstrings, inspires raucous laughter or elicits a collective groan when a poorly-hatched plan falters.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Normally, the pitch elicits about a 43% chase rate, though against Baltimore it plummeted to 18%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
These days, news that the housing market continues to be in a funk barely elicits an eyebrow raise from traders.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
A real showboater is someone whose very mention elicits warm, fuzzy memories of flamboyant flicks and trickery.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
Like pregnancy, being a foreigner, Ashima believes, is something that elicits the same curiosity from strangers, the same combination of pity and respect.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
That Chad replaced Cora, who led the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series title in his first season, elicited mixed feelings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Even though his mention of Israeli Prime Minister “Bibi” Netanyahu elicited boos, Witkoff maintained control of the crowd.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
That the team knew it was on shaky ground is backed up by testimony Grassley elicited last month in a hearing with executives from the three telecom providers who received Smith subpoenas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
But this latest step by Burger King elicited swift condemnation among some social media users who described it as "dystopian".
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026
My jab elicited laughter from a few of his friends and the other students standing nearby.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
The Supreme Court last week allowed Donald Trump’s ballroom construction to proceed, eliciting shock from the press corps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Finally, be wary of “rage bait” — intentionally provocative messages or content designed to boost engagement on social media platforms by eliciting negative reactions.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
Then she brought out pop star Lola Young, inviting her into a confessional booth with the hope of eliciting a dark secret.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
At the beginning of Wednesday’s broadcast, Goldberg congratulated her co-star and said the baby boy was 7 pounds and measured 19 1/2 inches, eliciting cheers from the in-studio audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
He was eliciting a lot of “monosyllabic” answers.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
