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implicate

[ im-pli-keyt ]
/ ˈɪm plɪˌkeɪt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR implicate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing.

to show to be also involved, usually in an incriminating manner: to be implicated in a crime.
to imply as a necessary circumstance, or as something to be inferred or understood.
to connect or relate to intimately; affect as a consequence: The malfunctioning of one part of the nervous system implicates another part.
Archaic. to fold or twist together; intertwine; interlace.

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RELATED WORDS

entangle, blame, embroil, incriminate, charge, accuse, suggest, affect, cite, impute, include, name, associate, tangle, relate, frame, stigmatize, hint, inculpate, insinuate

Nearby words

  1. implausible,
  2. implead,
  3. impleader,
  4. implement,
  5. implementation,
  6. implicated,
  7. implication,
  8. implications,
  9. implicative,
  10. implicatory

Origin of implicate

1530–40; < Latin implicātus past participle of implicāre to interweave, equivalent to im- im-1 + plicā(re) to ply2 + -ātus -ate1
Related formsun·im·pli·cat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for implicate

British Dictionary definitions for implicate

implicate

/ (ˈɪmplɪˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to show to be involved, esp in a crime
to involve as a necessary inference; implyhis protest implicated censure by the authorities
to affect intimatelythis news implicates my decision
rare to intertwine or entangle
Derived Formsimplicative (ɪmˈplɪkətɪv), adjectiveimplicatively, adverb

Word Origin for implicate

C16: from Latin implicāre to involve, from im- + plicāre to fold
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
Word Origin and History for implicate

implicate

v.

early 15c., "to convey in a fable;" c.1600, "intertwine, wreathe," from Latin implicatus, past participle of implicare "to involve, entwine" (see implication). Meaning "involve a person in a crime, charge, etc.," is from 1797. Related: Implicated; implicating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper