induce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lead or move by persuasion or influence, as to some action or state of mind.
to induce a person to buy a raffle ticket.
- Antonyms:
- dissuade
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to bring about, produce, or cause.
That medicine will induce sleep.
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Physics. to produce (an electric current) by induction.
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Logic. to assert or establish (a proposition about a class of phenomena) on the basis of observations on a number of particular facts.
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Genetics. to increase expression of (a gene) by inactivating a negative control system or activating a positive control system; derepress.
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Biochemistry. to stimulate the synthesis of (a protein, especially an enzyme) by increasing gene transcription.
verb
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(often foll by an infinitive) to persuade or use influence on
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to cause or bring about
-
med to initiate or hasten (labour), as by administering a drug to stimulate uterine contractions
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obsolete logic to assert or establish (a general proposition, hypothesis, etc) by induction
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to produce (an electromotive force or electrical current) by induction
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to transmit (magnetism) by induction
Synonym Usage
See persuade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inducernoun
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preinduceverb (used with object)
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reinduceverb (used with object)
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inducibleadjective
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noninducibleadjective
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uninducibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inducesimple
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inducessimple
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have inducedperfect
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has inducedperfect
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am inducingprogressive
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are inducingprogressive
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is inducingprogressive
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have been inducingperfect progressive
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has been inducingperfect progressive
Past
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inducedsimple
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had inducedperfect
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was inducingprogressive
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were inducingprogressive
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had been inducingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of induce
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin indūcere “to lead or bring in, introduce,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + dūcere “to lead”; cf. adduce, deduce, reduce
Explanation
To induce is to move or lead someone to action. A promise of a lollipop can induce a toddler to do just about anything, even sit down and be polite to Aunt Edna. Older kids need something more substantial. Some people believe that if you offer someone a large enough sum of money, you could induce them to do almost anything. But a movie heroine might say to the villain, "Nothing could induce me to marry you. Not all the money in the world. Not if you were the last man on Earth!" Induce also means to stimulate the occurrence of something, such as medications used to induce vomiting, or to induce a pregnant woman to go into labor.
Vocabulary lists containing induce
Lead the Way: Duc and Duct
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This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933), 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:
By manipulating each tank's temperature and pH levels, scientists can simulate future heatwaves and induce coral bleaching to see how fish and other organisms adapt.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
You might think that these otherwise symmetrical examples of bad luck would induce similar levels of stress and anxiety.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Dean bowled accurately and found turn to induce false shots with 36% of her deliveries.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Judge Rita Lin said xAI didn’t prove OpenAI recruited a former engineer to induce him to share Grok chatbot information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The doctors were worried and told my parents they might have to induce labor if the contractions didn’t restart.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Poornima, a salt pan worker, sips black tea during the day -- saying the hot drink induces sweating in the dry weather to cool the body.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
Their insight: Outcome-based penalties only work when embedded in a menu that first induces honest self-selection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Due to his challenging behaviour and a condition that induces severe vomiting, he remained in hospital for months as they struggled to find somewhere long term that could accommodate his needs.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2025
Induction occurs when the magnetic field of another active line nearby induces an electric current in the unconnected line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
“The transmitter and the liquid that induces the simulation. The transmitter communicates information to the brain from the computer, and vice versa, and the liquid alters the brain to put it in a simulation state.”
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Using induced pluripotent stem cells from people with Alzheimer's disease and healthy individuals, the team created hindbrain organoids containing specialized brain cells, or neurons, that produce the neurotransmitter serotonin.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
She was placed in an induced coma to aid her recovery which she awoke from in mid-June but remained “very unwell,” her family said at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
During the 2018 U.S.-China trade war, for example, voluntary curbs by Chinese SOEs depressed trade with the U.S. by an additional 4 percentage points beyond the 8% decline induced by Chinese tariffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
A woman who was bitten by a shark more than a week ago while swimming at a popular Sydney beach has woken briefly from an induced coma, her family has said.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
What induced them to do this is not known, but Creon urged it and Oedipus’ sons consented to it.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
But Sasaki bounced back by inducing a double play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
It signals to every counterparty transacting with a designated party that it could be next, inducing it to sever its ties to Iranian-linked finance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
"Increased cortisol levels help the body respond to immediate stressors by inducing a state of vigilance," said Prof Trevor Hamilton of MacEwan University, corresponding author.
From Science Daily ● May 3, 2026
He was getting ahead in the count of batters and putting them away, while also inducing soft contact, which allowed him to go deep into the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
Known today as electroconvulsive therapy, this involved sending electrical current through the brain and inducing seizures.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
