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
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initiates
plural
verb
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to begin or originate
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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
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noninitiatenoun
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preinitiatenoun
-
preinitiateverb (used with object)
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reinitiateverb (used with object)
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uninitiateadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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initiatesimple
-
initiatessimple
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have initiatedperfect
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has initiatedperfect
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am initiatingprogressive
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are initiatingprogressive
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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:
It was told it had said no final decision had been made on whether to initiate criminal proceedings against any individuals or organisations.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
When exercise stimulates PLIN1, it changes and releases ABHD5, which helps initiate fat breakdown.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
South Korea’s Industry Ministry stated the two countries only agreed to initiate a review of the pipeline deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Do some research, initiate a talk about how much you want to spend and where you want to go, and hope they respect your wishes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
My odds, as the smallest initiate, as the only Abnegation transfer, are not good.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
The brokerage initiates coverage of the stock with an add rating and a target price of 7,000.00 rupiah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Nomura initiates coverage with a buy rating and a target price of 6,000 Indian rupees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Rocket Lab secures 20 additional launches for Synspective, while Citi initiates coverage with a Buy rating and $105 price target.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
BofA Securities initiates coverage on IonQ at Buy, saying the company’s recent acquisitions are shaping it into a diversified play on quantum technology.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Dauntless taught initiates how to throw knives even before the changes to initiation that Max made before I joined them.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
He and Oppenheim said it was Holmes who initiated conversations with independent entertainment company A24 about documenting her daily life.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
“The BND initiated extensive internal investigations at an early stage and without delay, which substantiated the suspicions,” Jäger wrote in response to an email requesting comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The wire transfer charge was related to a $45m transfer that he initiated in January 2026.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The project was initiated by former Jackson School of Geosciences graduate student Andrew Parisi, who graduated in 2018 and has since passed away.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Oppenheimer provided it, warning that a multitude of theoretical and technical questions still remained unresolved; therefore, design work should be initiated immediately if the weapon were to be ready in time to influence the war.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Well, then, so is January, when the horrific bear market of 1973-74 began, initiating a 48% wipeout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The judge ordered the companies to "refrain from initiating, pursuing, carrying out or having carried out any material actions" that would involve drilling, installing infrastructure or extracting hydrocarbons, according to a ruling seen by AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
But some women said they supported the change - or admitted they had grown frustrated with initiating conversations only to receive no reply.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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
“Don’t stop David from talking to people! Not after all the work we’ve done on initiating conversation.”
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
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.
