embark

American  

[em-bahrk] / ɛmˈbɑrk /

verb (used without object)

• embarks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• embarked,
  past participle,  past
• embarking
  present participle

1. to board a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle, as for a journey.

2. to start an enterprise, business, etc.

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verb (used with object)

• embarks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• embarked,
  past participle,  past
• embarking
  present participle

1. to put or receive on board a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle.

2. to involve (someone) in an enterprise.

3. to venture or invest (something) in an enterprise.

embark British  

/ ɛmˈbɑːk /

verb

1. to board (a ship or aircraft)

2. (intr; usually foll by on or upon) to commence or engage (in) a new project, venture, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• embarkation
  noun
• embarkment
  noun
• reembark
  verb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• embarking
  present
• embarked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• embark
  simple
• embarks
  simple
• have embarked
  perfect
• has embarked
  perfect
• am embarking
  progressive
• are embarking
  progressive
• is embarking
  progressive
• have been embarking
  perfect progressive
• has been embarking
  perfect progressive

Past

• embarked
  simple
• had embarked
  perfect
• was embarking
  progressive
• were embarking
  progressive
• had been embarking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will embark
  simple
• will have embarked
  perfect
• will be embarking
  progressive
• will have been embarking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of embark

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French embarquer, from Spanish embarcar; from em- em- ¹ + -barcar, verb derivative of barca bark ³

Explanation

When you embark on something, you are starting it — and it's exciting. You might embark on a new career or embark on a trip to the Galapagos Islands. You wouldn't embark on a trip to the grocery store. The verb embark can be used specifically to refer to boarding a ship for a journey. When used for general travel, the verb embark often implies a longer journey: "She embarked on a trip around the world." Besides physical journeys, embark can be used to mean to start other kinds of journeys as well. You might embark on a spiritual journey or embark on the path to enlightenment. Pack well.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

embark embarks embarked embarking

At the top of your memo, write, “Please read all of this before you embark on the house swap.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

The wildlife park said it believed Mary made an "abnormally large leap" to embark on her 15-day adventure.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

As Dunk and Egg embark on their next journey, the opening bars of “Sixteen Tons,” a 1947 song by Tennessee Ernie Ford, close out the season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

And it is clear Tuchel wants England to be just as ready physically as in the football context as they embark on their quest to win the World Cup.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Bobby always felt comfortable with both, and at one point when Regina was about to embark on one of her perennial long-term journeys, she suggested that Bobby live with the Collinses.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

He now embarks on the perilous process of trying to build a reform coalition within the Fed-o-sphere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Analysts see even bigger things ahead for Sandisk as the company embarks on a significant business transformation.

From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026

Analysts say he also has big shoes to fill as the company embarks on a new era.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

The South Korean, already beloved in California as he embarks on his first full season, set up a first-half strike for David Martinez, before Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz sealed victory.

From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026

I have been sitting here almost ever since we left Geneva, and, of course, I can’t see the gangway from here, or who lands, or who embarks.

From Fordham's Feud by Bertram Mitford

In 2020, the lab embarked on training a chatbot dubbed “Gopher,” purposely keeping the project secret from Google Brain.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Under the departing President Gustavo Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, the government embarked on simultaneous peace negotiations with about a dozen narco-trafficking groups to urge them to disarm and abandon drug smuggling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

They also embarked on a strategy of signing younger players on lower wages, who can be moved in and out as required.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

He embarked on an aggressive hiring spree, using multimillion-dollar pay packages to attract talent from leading labs, and began development of Muse Spark, the new AI model Meta released in April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Now he himself embarked, lay down, lay still, while oarsmen took their places at the rowlocks all in order.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Cardiff-born Gill performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in films including HMS Defiant and Zulu before embarking on a successful theatre directing career.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Before embarking on his mountaineering career, Purja served in Britain’s famed Gurkha army unit, which is overwhelmingly recruited from people of Nepal’s hill communities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Tesla is embarking on a massive construction spree that Musk characterized on a conference call as probably the United States' "fastest industrial scale up since World War Two."

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

Kidman and Neill are a married couple embarking on an ocean adventure to work through the loss of their child.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Besides, who better to read about embarking on travel and escaping trouble than Cool Papa, who had sailed the seas as a navy man, and traveled the road, both home and abroad, as a bluesman?

From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• commence
• enter
• launch