establish

[ ih-stab-lish ]

/ ɪˈstæb lɪʃ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: establish / established / establishes / establishing 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR establish

1 form, organize.

3 verify, substantiate.

6 decree.

See synonyms for establish on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR establish

1 abolish.

3 disprove.

See antonyms for establish on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of establish

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English establissen, establishen, from Middle French establiss-, extended stem of establir, from Latin stabilīre, derivative of stabilis stable²

synonym study for establish

1. See fix.

OTHER WORDS FROM establish

es·tab·lish·a·ble, adjectivees·tab·lish·er, nounre·es·tab·lish, verb (used with object)su·per·es·tab·lish, verb (used with object)

un·es·tab·lish·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby establish

essoin, essonite, Essonne, EST, estab., establish, established, established church, establishing shot, establishment, establishmentarian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use establish in a sentence

It led a successful campaign to reduce the pollution caused by coal-fired power plants in the US, helped limit the US power sector’s CO2 emissions, and helped establish regulations of diesel, shipping, and methane emissions.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money.|Sigal Samuel|September 17, 2020|Vox
It can never become mathematics, because those values aren’t fixed or established.
Christian Puglisi Is Closing His Influential Copenhagen Restaurants. COVID Is Only Partly to Blame|Rafael Tonon|September 17, 2020|Eater
Having established itself as one of the leading e-commerce players in India, Amazon is now casting a wider net in the country.
Amazon’s fintech push is a play to dig further into India|Ananya Bhattacharya|September 17, 2020|Quartz
Take advantage of that to consciously establish the new habits you actually want.
How a vacation—or a pandemic—can help you adopt better habits now|matthewheimer|September 12, 2020|Fortune

Investor groups commit to establishing lasting relationships with founders in the program and to uphold accountability for representation within their organizations and their investment portfolios.
The 2019 TechCrunch Include Report|Henry Pickavet|September 11, 2020|TechCrunch
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
Children, and the building of a city shall establish a name, but a blameless wife shall be counted above them both.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
A proclamation was issued by government to establish a manufactory for white paper in England.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Siyes desired a man who would overthrow the Directory and establish a dictatorship: Barras was coquetting with the Bourbons.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
So one's common sense fails to establish a definite reasonable time.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
Congress resolved to establish the bank of North America, being the first regularly established bank in the country.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

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 of establish

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

establish

OTHER WORDS FOR establish

OPPOSITES FOR establish

Origin of establish

synonym study for establish

OTHER WORDS FROM establish

Words nearby establish

Words related to establish

How to use establish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for establish

Derived forms of establish

Word Origin for establish