initiate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
initiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
initiated,
past participle, past
-
initiating
present participle
-
to begin, set going, or originate.
to initiate major social reforms.
- Synonyms:
- open, inaugurate, introduce, commence
- Antonyms:
- conclude
-
to introduce into the knowledge of some art or subject.
- Synonyms:
- train, indoctrinate, instruct, teach
-
to admit or accept with formal rites into an organization or group, secret knowledge, adult society, etc.
-
Government. to propose (a measure) by initiative procedure.
to initiate a constitutional amendment.
adjective
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admitted into an organization or group, secret knowledge, etc.
-
introduced to the knowledge of a subject.
-
initiated; begun.
the recently initiate measures.
noun
-
initiates
plural
verb
-
to begin or originate
-
to accept (new members) into an organization such as a club, through often secret ceremonies
-
to teach fundamentals to
she initiated him into the ballet
adjective
noun
-
a person who has been initiated, esp recently
-
a beginner; novice
Synonym Usage
See begin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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initiatornoun
-
noninitiatenoun
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preinitiatenoun
-
preinitiateverb (used with object)
-
reinitiateverb (used with object)
-
uninitiateadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
initiatesimple
-
initiatessimple
-
have initiatedperfect
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has initiatedperfect
-
am initiatingprogressive
-
are initiatingprogressive
-
is initiatingprogressive
-
have been initiatingperfect progressive
-
has been initiatingperfect progressive
Past
-
initiatedsimple
-
had initiatedperfect
-
was initiatingprogressive
-
were initiatingprogressive
-
had been initiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of initiate
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin initiātus, past participle of initiāre “to ritually initiate, admit,” equivalent to initi(um) “beginning” + -ātus past participle suffix; see initial, -ate 1
Explanation
If you want to end the feud between your siblings, you might need to initiate peace talks — and come up with a fair way to decide who gets the top bunk. As a verb, initiate means to start. As a noun, initiate refers to someone who has been inducted into a group. Initiate is tricky because you pronounce the last bit one way as a verb (i-ni-she-ate) and another when it's a noun (i-ni-she-at). If you're an initiate, you've been introduced to a field of study, an activity, a club, etc. As a verb, to initiate is to begin, pioneer, or broach a topic. You might say, "Let's initiate the swearing-in ceremony so our new initiates can join the Rule-Breakers' Club and still get home without missing their curfews."
Vocabulary lists containing initiate
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
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The Hate U Give
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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:
Another change coming to Bumble will extend the time-limit users have to initiate a conversation after matching.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present for the commission to engage in rulemaking, issue final decisions in adjudications, initiate enforcement actions, and otherwise conduct business.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Troy Jensen was among the bulls to initiate coverage on Quantinuum at Overweight.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Google is building another agent that will initiate the process of contacting the supplier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
He could bomb, put US forces in Vietnam, and initiate large-scale combat operations, all without consulting Congress.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
They found that GDF15 initiates signaling from the brain through the nervous system, ultimately causing the release of glucocorticoids.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
He says that balance is “100% a predictor of longevity” partly because it initiates a domino effect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
GS also initiates coverage of Samvardhana Motherson International and Bharat Forge with neutral ratings and target prices of 148.00 rupees and 2,120.00 rupees, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The brokerage initiates coverage of the stock with an outperform rating and a target price of 5,400 yen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Three Dauntless-born initiates stand among the other worn and dirty animals.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Following the review and in response to concern over high-profile vetting failures in England including the case of David Carrick, Police Scotland initiated a "historic data wash".
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Nutrien is up more than 10% since Abdullah initiated coverage back on July 12.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The German artist Albrecht Dürer initiated one of the first known intellectual property lawsuits.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Paramedics initiated “advanced cardiac life support measures,” but Panettiere could not be resuscitated, the statement read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
I powered on the console and initiated the log-in sequence.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Henshall had been asked to provide insight into Villa's workings by TransferRoom, which uses its online platform to connect clubs and agents, potentially initiating or accelerating moves.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Software providers are dedicating more resources to this puzzle, and some are initiating new roles to meet the task at hand.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
ServiceNow is one of many California tech companies initiating mass layoffs this year in efforts to pivot to AI.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Many big investment firms have developed automated systems to monitor Truth Social, detect important keywords and take action—often within a fraction of a second—such as initiating or canceling positions, traders said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
She hated when he tried to act like the victim after initiating trouble.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
