innovate
Americanverb (used without object)
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innovates,
present (3rd person singular)
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innovated,
past participle, past
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innovating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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innovates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
innovated,
past participle, past
-
innovating
present participle
-
to introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.
to innovate a computer operating system.
-
Archaic. to alter.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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innovatesimple
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innovatessimple
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have innovatedperfect
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has innovatedperfect
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am innovatingprogressive
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are innovatingprogressive
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is innovatingprogressive
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have been innovatingperfect progressive
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has been innovatingperfect progressive
Past
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innovatedsimple
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had innovatedperfect
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was innovatingprogressive
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were innovatingprogressive
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had been innovatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of innovate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin innovātus, past participle of innovāre “to renew, alter,” equivalent to in- intensive prefix + novātus, past participle of novā(re) “to renew,” verbal derivative of novus “new” + -tus past participle suffix); see in- 2, new
Explanation
Innovate means to bring something new to something. If you love cranberry seltzers, you might innovate by adding limeade or by making the drink with cran-raspberry juice instead. In our culture obsessed with finding the next new thing, the word innovate is very popular––behind every "new and improved" label slapped onto the packaging of some perfectly useful product is some eager beaver buried in the ranks of a company, scheming ways to innovate.
Vocabulary lists containing innovate
A Résumé of Active Words
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Academic Vocabulary, Units 4–6
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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:
With rentals belly up and access to films democratized, there was no further push to innovate, no concerted attempt to compete with the real Hollywood studios.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
They say the decision is sort of to make space to innovate the live show and incorporate new things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
"After this decision, we want to make sure that there is more competition and also other companies are able to innovate," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
"After this decision, we want to make sure that there is more competition and also other companies are able to innovate," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Chaucer's successors do not innovate; they fasten their work to his works, and patch them together; they build in the shadow of his palace.
From A Literary History of the English People From the Origins to the Renaissance by Jean Jules Jusserand
A Nike spokeswoman said that more diverse interests in China plays to Nike’s strengths as a company that innovates across sporting categories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Meta hasn’t been sitting idly by while OpenAI innovates.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
The collective bargaining agreement, which extends the current CBA by four years, through 2030, “revolutionizes the game, raises standards, and innovates the business,” Berman added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2024
“Industry innovates and over-complies,” Duffy said, citing a 1970s EPA rule that required power plants to use sulfur dioxide scrubbers.
From Washington Times ● May 11, 2023
But in religion it is always the zealous sect which innovates, which progresses, and which has influence.
From The Life of Jesus by Ernest Renan
Sun says Tron has innovated new collaborations with law enforcement to tackle illegal transactions on the blockchain, leading to huge declines in illicit volume on the platform.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“It’s possible that we’ve innovated with plants under more scrutiny than any other company ever,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Social media platforms innovated new ways to keep users scrolling.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026
During his Springbok tenure, the former Free State flanker, who won 37 international caps, has innovated with strokes of genius such as naming a bench with just one back and rolling mauls in open play.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
Tristan und Isolde is an out-and-out masterpiece, with sweeping, yearning themes, deserving of its place in music’s pantheon, whatever it may or may not have innovated.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
The bad guys are always innovating and working around them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
And the next leg of growth will be driven by niche brands innovating with specific ingredients, dermatologist-backed products and a focus on skin nutrition, say experts.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
As someone who is perennially image-conscious, constantly innovating, and occasionally rash, it’s not surprising that an artist like Madonna would incorporate new technology into her art.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Let’s stop innovating, let’s stop trying to break the mold on them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
It may be stated in this form, that every class of capitalists is at the beginning animated by a clearly progressive and innovating spirit but becomes conservative as its activities become regulated.
From The Stages in the Social History of Capitalism by Henri Pirenne
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.
