initiation
Americannoun
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formal admission or acceptance into an organization or club, adult status in one's community or society, etc.
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the ceremonies or rites of admission.
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the act of initiating.
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the fact of being initiated.
noun
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the act of initiating or the condition of being initiated
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the often secret ceremony initiating new members into an organization
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of initiation
First recorded in 1575–85, initiation is from the Latin word initiātiōn- (stem of initiātiō ). See initiate, -ion
Explanation
The initiation of something is the beginning. It's what sets events in motion, gets the party underway, or kicks off a new program. An initiation can also be an introduction into something, formally or informally. You might undergo an initiation ceremony when you join the Girl Scouts for the first time, or have a rude initiation into the world of traffic law when you get your first speeding ticket. But beware of the initiation rituals for college frats — you could find yourself swallowing a live goldfish or streaking across campus in your tighty-whiteys.
Vocabulary lists containing initiation
Divergent
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Long Way Down
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Purple Hibiscus
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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:
His initiation dance in front of the Ghana squad went viral.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The recent deal comes after Yum! announced “the initiation of a formal review of strategic options” for Pizza Hut back in Nov. 2025.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
But Wall Street is backing the company to make a comeback with a raft of initiation notes on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
Membership costs $5,000 a year plus a $7,500 initiation fee, not including the price of food and drink.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
I hear myself speaking in the voice I cultivated as an initiation instructor, but this time I use it in jest.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
The initiations from JPMorgan, Bank of America, KeyBanc Capital Markets, and Jefferies frame Forgent as a play on one of the tightest bottlenecks in the AI buildout: electrical distribution equipment.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
The practices of the cult are obscure and difficult to reconstruct, but it seems that initiations took place in a cave.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
In the UK, the Rugby Football Union, the sport's governing body, has said initiations at university clubs are putting people off wanting to continue playing.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2019
Five men ranging in age from 18 to 20 were charged in connection to initiations at homes and at Milton High School in 2011 and 2012.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 13, 2016
They remember what it felt like when they were young, and they remember their own initiations.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
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.
