induce
Americanverb (used with object)
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induces,
present (3rd person singular)
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induced,
past participle, past
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inducing
present participle
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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:
"This promotes production of the metabolite N1-acetylspermidine, which contributes to the ability of butyrate-treated IEC-conditioned medium to induce IL-10 production in CD4⁺ T-cells."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
If you’ve never been in a Dulles people mover, you might be puzzled by the white-hot hatred they induce.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
Delmer’s mission was to undermine enemy morale and induce uncertainty among Nazi leadership while ensuring his messages didn’t betray their true source.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Though he knows both Ellis’ and Murphy’s work tends to induce “strong reactions,” he also hopes people will see beyond the “movie poster exterior.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Juno’s plan was to have the two fall in love with each other and so divert Aeneas from Italy and induce him to settle down with Dido.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
And while much of the movie induces sidesplitting guffaws, Tremaine said that producer and co-creator Spike Jonze was eager to highlight the sensitive beats shared between the cast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
"A provider induces infringement if it actively encourages infringement through specific acts," it said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
That study found that the lack of ELOVL2 enzyme induces accelerated aging of immune cells, suggesting that systemic lipid supplementation could potentially counteract the effects of age on the immune system.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2025
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
The view induces the opposite of vertigo, a lurching feeling inspired not by gravity’s pull to earth, but by the infinite reaches of heaven.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The treated mice were also more resistant to chemically induced colitis.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
It came just months after she was treated in intensive care after being placed in an induced coma following an emergency intestinal surgery.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Left-hander Jack Dreyer replaced Phillips and induced Carter Jensen to line out to center fielder Andy Pages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
He then induced 21 swings and misses against the Mets last Friday, also a personal best.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Nobody could believe it back in 1826: a work crew of convicts, camping on the riverbank, actually induced to build their own prison.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
They risk becoming like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom Florida’s Chamber of Commerce crowned “Florida’s Economic Developer of the Year” for inducing New York City wealth to move south.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The centre of this anticyclone will shift eastwards on Tuesday, inducing warm south-easterly flows across much of the UK, with a lot of dry weather.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The reasons range widely, from the need to protect manufacturing for defense purposes, to inducing trading partners to lower their trade barriers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Yamamoto stayed in for one more batter, inducing Quero to fly out, before handing the ball over to manager Dave Roberts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
And the meager fare at Mother Palmer’s boardinghouse up on the bluff was proving downright starvation inducing this year.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
