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Synonyms

institute

American  
[in-sti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈɪn stɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /

verb (used with object)

instituted, instituting
  1. to set up; establish; organize.

    to institute a government.

  2. to inaugurate; initiate; start.

    to institute a new course in American literature.

  3. to set in operation.

    to institute a lawsuit.

  4. to bring into use or practice.

    to institute laws.

  5. to establish in an office or position.

  6. Ecclesiastical. to assign to or invest with a spiritual charge, as of a parish.


noun

  1. a society or organization for carrying on a particular work, as of a literary, scientific, or educational character.

  2. the building occupied by such a society.

  3. Education.

    1. an institution, generally beyond the secondary school level, devoted to instruction in technical subjects, usually separate but sometimes organized as a part of a university.

    2. a unit within a university organized for advanced instruction and research in a relatively narrow field of subject matter.

    3. a short instructional program set up for a special group interested in a specialized field or subject.

  4. an established principle, law, custom, or organization.

  5. institutes,

    1. an elementary textbook of law designed for beginners.

    2. Also called Institutes of Justinian(initial capital letter) an elementary treatise on Roman law in four books, forming one of the four divisions of the Corpus Juris Civilis.

  6. something instituted.

institute British  
/ ˈɪnstɪˌtjuːt /

verb

  1. to organize; establish

  2. to initiate

    to institute a practice

  3. to establish in a position or office; induct

  4. to install (a clergyman) in a church

"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

noun

  1. an organization founded for particular work, such as education, promotion of the arts, or scientific research

  2. the building where such an organization is situated

  3. something instituted, esp a rule, custom, or precedent

"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

Other Word Forms

  • institutor noun
  • reinstitute verb (used with object)
  • uninstituted adjective
  • well-instituted adjective

Etymology

Origin of institute

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin institūtus, past participle of instituere “to set, put up, establish,” equivalent to in- ”in” + -stitū- (combining form of statū-, stem of statuere “to place upright, set, stand” ) + -tus past participle suffix; in- 2, stand

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.

Subsidies by the Chinese government could cover that differential, leveling the playing field, the institute says.

From Barron's

The Ifo institute's confidence barometer came in at 87.6 points, weaker than some forecasts and the same reading as December when it slipped to its lowest for months.

From Barron's

“Something like this was always going to happen,” said Aron Lund, a longtime Syria expert and security analyst at Century International, a policy institute.

From The Wall Street Journal

Professor Lutz and Dr. Milton Aguilar, a postdoctoral researcher at the same institute, describe the physics behind this surprising result in their Science Advances paper.

From Science Daily

The institute is designed to speed the transition from laboratory discoveries to real-world therapies that can save lives.

From Science Daily