install
Americanverb (used with object)
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to place in position or connect for service or use.
to install a heating system;
to install software on a computer.
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to establish in an office, position, or place.
to install oneself in new quarters.
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to induct into an office or the like with ceremonies or formalities.
verb
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to place (machinery, equipment, etc) in position and connect and adjust for use
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to transfer (computer software) from a distribution file to a permanent location on disk, and prepare it for its particular environment and application
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to put in a position, rank, etc
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to settle (a person, esp oneself) in a position or state
she installed herself in an armchair
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of install
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word installāre. See in- 2, stall 1
Explanation
Use the verb install to mean "set up" or "put in place." You can install new software on your computer, or even install new officers to your honor society. The word install traces back to the Latin word installare, from in-, meaning “into,” and stallum, meaning “place” or “stall.” Install has to do with putting someone or something in a chosen place. For example, you might install a solar panel on your roof, install your best friend in a cushy job at your company, or install yourself at the best table in your favorite restaurant.
Vocabulary lists containing install
Catching Fire
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The Distance Between Us
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"The Prince and the Pauper," Vocabulary from the drama
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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.
Lincolnshire County Council said it wanted to purchase and install Starlink facilities for so-called "not spot" properties that do not have access to fibre broadband.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Though Cooper has yet to issue a ruling, officials have now come up with 10 different ways using similar language to install Trump’s name on the exterior marble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
US President Donald Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution on Friday to install statues of George Washington, in his latest bid to reshape the treasured museum and research complex.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Now, thanks to a joint install with a friend, the light fixture hangs in the laundry area between the bedroom and bathroom, occasionally catching a cross breeze but mostly serving as decoration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The priests there could perform the ancient coronation rites to install Cleopatra as pharaoh.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
