initiate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
admitted into an organization or group, secret knowledge, etc.
-
introduced to the knowledge of a subject.
-
initiated; begun.
the recently initiate measures.
noun
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
-
initiatornoun
-
noninitiatenoun
-
preinitiatenoun
-
preinitiateverb (used with object)
-
reinitiateverb (used with object)
-
uninitiateadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
initiatesimple
-
initiatessimple
-
have initiatedperfect
-
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:
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
Signals and behavioral cues do more than initiate cooperation.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026
Venezuelan opposition figure Dinorah Figuera told AFP on Friday she is traveling to the United States for meetings, a day after returning from years in exile to initiate dialogue with Venezuela's interim government.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
The company said it will initiate a search of potential candidates to succeed Fitzpatrick as finance chief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Eric says, “Thank you. As you know, we’re here because Albert, an initiate, jumped into the chasm last night.”
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Nomura initiates coverage on the stock with a buy rating and a CNY116 target price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 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
Macquarie initiates coverage of the stock with an outperform rating and a target price of 3.33 Singapore dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The brokerage initiates coverage of the stock with a buy rating and a target price of US$1.92.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 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
A report also said mediator Pakistan was looking at resuming US-Iran peace talks, following a push initiated by China.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
It’s initiated a traceback investigation, a process where officials trace food that ill people report eating all the way back to the farm or production facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The trade was initiated in June on the back of renewed optimism around the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The couple had been married for 19 years, had two children, were separated and divorce proceedings had been initiated at the time of the killing.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
He initiated Aureliano José in the use of firearms, gave him early military instruction, and for several months took him to live in the barracks, with Úrsula’s consent, so that he could become a man.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Food and Drug Administration announced it was initiating a traceback investigation into a second cyclosporiasis outbreak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Heavy rains pounded southwest Texas Wednesday and Thursday with rapid-rising water initiating flash-flood warnings, evacuations and water rescues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Citi recommended investors pile into Figma stock, initiating coverage at Buy with a $36 price target, representing 90% upside.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
But many believe George Henderson - or Krazy George - from the US deserves credit for initiating and directing the first ever wave, which is known as the Mexican wave outside North America.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
After a time in solitary, I relished the company even of the insects in my cell, and found myself on the verge of initiating conversations with a cockroach.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
