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implicate

[ im-pli-keyt ]
/ ˈɪm plɪˌkeɪt /
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See synonyms for: implicate / implicated 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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Origin of implicate

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

How to use implicate in a sentence

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 forms of implicate

implicative (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
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