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insist

[in-sist]
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verb (used without object)
  1. to be emphatic, firm, or resolute on some matter of desire, demand, intention, etc.: He insists on checking every shipment.
  2. to lay emphasis in assertion: to insist on the justice of a claim.
  3. to dwell with earnestness or emphasis (usually followed by on or upon): to insist on a point in a discussion.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to assert or maintain firmly: He insists that he saw the ghosts.
  2. to demand or persist in demanding: I insist that you see this thing through.
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Origin of insist

1580–90; < Latin insistere to stand still on, persist in, equivalent to in- in-2 + sistere to stand, make stand, reduplicated derivative from base of stāre to stand
Related formsin·sist·er, nounin·sist·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·in·sist, verb (used without object)re·in·sist, verb (used without object)su·per·in·sist, verb (used without object)

Synonyms

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5. urge, require.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for insist

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Then I must insist that you appoint your successor," said Aspasia.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Did you not insist on going home with Hester Paine, when I had offered my escort?

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • They want to get into the garage; they insist on washing the car.

    Her Father's Daughter

    Gene Stratton-Porter

  • The Sphinx is a woman, as I will insist to my dying day, if it were my last word!

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

  • The Thought had been wise not to insist too much on recognition.

British Dictionary definitions for insist

insist

verb
  1. to make a determined demand (for)he insisted that his rights be respected; he insisted on his rights
  2. to express a convinced belief (in) or assertion (of)he insisted that she was mad; he insisted on her madness
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Derived Formsinsister, nouninsistingly, adverb

Word Origin

C16: from Latin insistere to stand upon, urge, from in- ² + sistere to stand
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for insist

v.

1580s, from Latin insistere "persist, dwell upon, stand upon," from in- "upon" (see in- (2)) + sistere "take a stand" (see assist). Perhaps in some cases a back-formation from insistence. Related: Insisted; insisting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper