implicate

[ im-pli-keyt ]
See synonyms for: implicateimplicated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),im·pli·cat·ed, im·pli·cat·ing.
  1. to show to be also involved, usually in an incriminating manner: to be implicated in a crime.

  2. to imply as a necessary circumstance, or as something to be inferred or understood.

  1. to connect or relate to intimately; affect as a consequence: The malfunctioning of one part of the nervous system implicates another part.

  2. Archaic. to fold or twist together; intertwine; interlace.

Origin of implicate

1
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin implicātus, past participle of implicāre “to interweave,” equivalent to im- im-1 + plicā(re) “to fold” + -ātus -ate1;see ply2

synonym study For implicate

1. See involve.

Words Nearby implicate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use implicate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for implicate

implicate

/ (ˈɪmplɪˌkeɪt) /


verb(tr)
  1. to show to be involved, esp in a crime

  2. to involve as a necessary inference; imply: his protest implicated censure by the authorities

  1. to affect intimately: this news implicates my decision

  2. rare to intertwine or entangle

Origin of implicate

1
C16: from Latin implicāre to involve, from im- + plicāre to fold

Derived forms of implicate

  • implicative (ɪmˈplɪkətɪv), adjective
  • implicatively, adverb

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