establish

[ ih-stab-lish ]

/ ɪˈstæb lɪʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR establish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis: to establish a university; to establish a medical practice.

to install or settle in a position, place, business, etc.: to establish one's child in business.

to show to be valid or true; prove: to establish the facts of the matter.

to cause to be accepted or recognized: to establish a custom; She established herself as a leading surgeon.

to bring about permanently: to establish order.

to enact, appoint, or ordain for permanence, as a law; fix unalterably.

to make (a church) a national or state institution.

Cards. to obtain control of (a suit) so that one can win all the subsequent tricks in it.

Nearby words

essonite, essonne, est, est., estab., establish, established, established church, establishment, establishmentarian, estafette

Origin of establish

1325–75; Middle English establissen < Middle French establiss-, extended stem of establir < Latin stabilīre, akin to stabilis stable²

SYNONYMS FOR establish

1 form, organize. See fix.

3 verify, substantiate.

6 decree.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR establish ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR establish

1 abolish.

3 disprove.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR establish ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

es·tab·lish·a·ble, adjectivees·tab·lish·er, nounqua·si-es·tab·lished, adjectivere·es·tab·lish, verb (used with object)

su·per·es·tab·lish, verb (used with object)un·es·tab·lish·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for establish

Huckabee will also need to establish a reliable fundraising base, something that up until now has proved to be elusive.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The king set about punishing Marshal, opposing his attempts to establish his family in their lands in Ireland and Wales.
England’s Greatest Knight Puts ‘Game of Thrones’ to Shame|William O’Connor|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They backed him when the Sandinistas tried to establish their own Cuban-inspired dictatorship.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution|Nina Lakhani|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With Mac and Jesse we wanted to establish a friendship that was mostly a product of their common situation and enclosed world.
Nitehawk Shorts Festival: ‘Brute,’ a Twisted Take on Playing in the Dark|Julia Grinberg|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And she credits her mother for helping to establish who that woman was early on: independent, free, self-reliant.
Diane von Furstenberg: How I Learned to Love My Wrap Dress|Lizzie Crocker|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For these and other reasons, your petitioners pray that Congress will establish its sovereignty over said Territory.
A History of Oregon, 1792-1849|William Henry Gray
In high school he had sought to establish himself as a hardened sinner—a drinker and tough citizen.
Gargoyles|Ben Hecht
Burr, in committee, frankly declared that the surplus was to establish a bank, and Governor Jay signed the bill.
The Life of John Marshall Volume 3 of 4|Albert J. Beveridge
The distance to which they can work forward and establish themselves under these conditions will depend on the ground.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6|Various
This disruption will establish in America all the evil conditions of Europe from which our fathers fled hither.
The Brothers' War|John Calvin Reed

British Dictionary definitions for establish

establish

/ (ɪˈstæblɪʃ) /

verb (usually tr)

to make secure or permanent in a certain place, condition, job, etcto establish one's usefulness; to establish a house

to create or set up (an organization, etc) on or as if on a permanent basisto establish a company

to prove correct or free from doubt; validateto establish a fact

to cause (a principle, theory, etc) to be widely or permanently acceptedto establish a precedent

to give (a Church) the status of a national institution

(of a person) to become recognized and acceptedhe established himself as a reliable GP

(in works of imagination) to cause (a character, place, etc) to be credible and recognizedthe first scene established the period

cards to make winners of (the remaining cards of a suit) by forcing out opponents' top cards

(also intr) botany

to cause (a plant) to grow or (of a plant) to grow in a new placethe birch scrub has established over the past 25 years
to become or cause to become a sapling or adult plant from a seedling

Derived Forms

establisher, noun

Word Origin for establish

C14: from Old French establir, from Latin stabilīre to make firm, from stabilis stable ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012