induct

American  

[in-duhkt] / ɪnˈdʌkt /

verb (used with object)

inducts, present (3rd person singular) inducted, past participle, past inducting present participle

1. to install in an office, benefice, position, etc., especially with formal ceremonies.

   The committee inducted her as president.

2. to introduce, especially to something requiring special knowledge or experience; initiate (usually followed by to orinto ).

   They inducted him into the mystic rites of the order.

3. to take (a draftee) into military service; draft.

4. to bring in as a member.

   to induct a person into a new profession.

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induct British  

/ ɪnˈdʌkt /

verb

1. to bring in formally or install in an office, place, etc; invest

2. to initiate in knowledge (of)

3. to enlist for military service; conscript

4. physics another word for induce induce

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reinduct
  verb (used with object)
• uninducted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• inducting
  present
• inducted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• induct
  simple
• inducts
  simple
• have inducted
  perfect
• has inducted
  perfect
• am inducting
  progressive
• are inducting
  progressive
• is inducting
  progressive
• have been inducting
  perfect progressive
• has been inducting
  perfect progressive

Past

• inducted
  simple
• had inducted
  perfect
• was inducting
  progressive
• were inducting
  progressive
• had been inducting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will induct
  simple
• will have inducted
  perfect
• will be inducting
  progressive
• will have been inducting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of induct

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin inductus, past participle of indūcere, equivalent to induc- “to introduce, lead in” + -tus past participle suffix; see induce

Explanation

Induct is what groups do when they formally accept new members, like the honor societies that, every school year, induct students who meet the qualifications. When you induct someone into a group, you formally welcome him or her as a member. The word is typically used to describe official acceptance of a position or admittance into an organization, such as a professional society. It can also be used to describe someone who has formally enrolled in the military. Don't use it for informal joining, though — you wouldn't induct a new friend or be inducted at the gym where you have just started a membership.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

induct inducts inducted inducting

The carrier was expected to induct dozens of new planes to its fleet, but deliveries are running late because of supply chain shortages, which has upended the replacement schedule.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

I stand by all of this—until the unlikely event someone wants to induct me into a Hall of Fame, in which case I think it’s a fabulous idea, thank you.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

Well, although the primary goal of the hall is to each year induct the most deserving candidates, we do look at where we’re going.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

It’s an anticlimactic return that feels more intended to scrub the remaining tarnish from her image than it does to induct her back into Vanderpump’s fold.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025

Papa talked him out of volunteering; Woody waited for the army to induct him.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

The Gorsedd inducts new members each year who have contributed to Welsh life.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2024

Occasionally the Hall inducts a true rock artist, for example, Pat Benatar, but increasingly that’s a happy accident.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2022

Yet when the Baseball Hall of Fame inducts him next Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y.,

From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2017

It hasn’t been easy lately for coaches to get into the Hall, which inducts no more than eight people per year.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2016

Ruebetsahl is from Frankfort, Germany, whence he brings an enthusiasm for music and philosophy, into which he inducts his newly found friends.

From A Biography of Sidney Lanier by Mims, Edwin

She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

These milestones were the culmination of Parks' tireless lobbying; the debt to him was formally acknowledged in 2010 when he became the first wheelchair athlete to be inducted into tennis' Hall of Fame.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

He was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 but only in a 5-minute segment as part of a 2-for-1 deal with Mr. Oldham.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Taylor Swift made an emotional 21-minute speech in which she tearfully thanked her family as she made history by becoming the youngest woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Someday I wanted to be inducted into the military too, draped in the Republic’s dark robes.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

"We've added over 100 aircraft, nearly completed the refit of legacy narrowbodies, and begun inducting widebodies with new interiors. At the same time, we've laid critical infrastructure... to support our long-term ambitions," he said.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

I imagine as well it’s a heavy thing for the artists and families inducting people they have lost.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

When it came to Fogerty, Springsteen didn’t mince words while inducting one of American music’s most prolific singer-songwriters.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to change that by inducting Manouchian into the Panthéon national monument on Wednesday.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2024

"Look and see, ladies," he said, inducting them into the dining-room: "there's the room, there's the table laid for heighteen, and I defy you to squeege in more."

From A Little Dinner at Timmin's by Thackeray, William Makepeace

Related Words

• conscript
• enlist
• inaugurate
• recruit
• swear in