establish

[ ih-stab-lish ]

/ ɪˈstæb lɪʃ /

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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

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use establish in a sentence

That’s why, when I established this 3D lab initiative five years ago, I decided not to create a new organization with the boss that would perform innovation.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society|Jason Sparapani|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
A difference of more than a foot and a half means the world to a post scorer like Ayton, who is already better at establishing position close to the basket than the players Paul has been feeding.
Chris Paul Helped Blake Griffin Shine. Can He Do The Same For Deandre Ayton?|Jared Dubin|November 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Once a count has been established, we open each envelope and individually examine the contents.
A Pennsylvania poll worker explains the painstaking process of counting votes|Kyle Brashear|November 12, 2020|Vox
It’s the realization of plans established long ago by Vashee, who fell in love with venture years early on and has always known he wanted to return to it, though he wasn’t sure when or where that night happen.
Former Dropbox CFO Ajay Vashee is joining the powerhouse venture firm IVP in January|Connie Loizos|November 11, 2020|TechCrunch

If humans ever want to take the unprecedented step of establishing a base on the Moon, Mars, or any other celestial destination, they may need to extract resources from local rocks to support themselves.
These rock-eating microbes could help us settle the Moon and Mars|Paola Rosa-Aquino|November 11, 2020|Popular-Science
Lennon casually told some DC friends about it and found there was local interest in establishing Dinner Parties.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These online communities are establishing familial bonds between strangers.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The new Secret Six continues that tradition establishing Catman as bisexual.
Gail Simone’s Bisexual Catman and the ‘Secret Six’|Rich Goldstein|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pulling them together is not about establishing a team of rivals, but a team of enemies.
Arab Kings vs. ISIS Barbarians|Christopher Dickey|September 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dodge has also had something like 20 museum shows and is intent on establishing a museum that would also show his 225 posters.
Pryor Dodge's Two-Wheeled Obsession Is Now a Museum of Bike History|Anthony Haden-Guest|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hence it can be seen what hope there is of establishing a flourishing christian church by such evangelists.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
To-day I have stood in the main battery which has fired a shot establishing, in its way, a record in the annals of destruction.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Aguinaldo had moved on to Calumpit with his main army with the intention of establishing his Government there.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
And if they succeed in establishing their case, the courts will order the removal of the directors.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The next three months were spent almost entirely in establishing provisional juntas in the different capitals.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham

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 related to establish

How to use establish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for establish

Derived forms of establish

Word Origin for establish