institute

American  

[in-sti-toot, -tyoot] / ˈɪn stɪˌtut, -ˌtjut /

verb (used with object)

• institutes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• instituted,
  past participle,  past
• instituting
  present participle

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.

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noun

• institutes
  plural

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

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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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• institutes
  plural

Participles

• instituting
  present
• instituted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• institute
  simple
• institutes
  simple
• have instituted
  perfect
• has instituted
  perfect
• am instituting
  progressive
• are instituting
  progressive
• is instituting
  progressive
• have been instituting
  perfect progressive
• has been instituting
  perfect progressive

Past

• instituted
  simple
• had instituted
  perfect
• was instituting
  progressive
• were instituting
  progressive
• had been instituting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will institute
  simple
• will have instituted
  perfect
• will be instituting
  progressive
• will have been instituting
  perfect progressive

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; see in- ², stand

Explanation

An institute is an organization or association designed to study or promote something. If you're interested in politics, you might want to do an internship at one of Washington D.C.'s many political research institutes. While you may have heard of an institute, whether it’s the National Institute for Art Advancement or the National Cancer Institute, you may not know institute in its verb form. To institute something means to establish or advance it. You might institute the hiring of Spanish-speakers at your company, or, if workers complain about being overworked, you might institute a new policy on taking breaks.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

institute institutes instituted instituting

It aims to help companies bridge expertise gaps "to move towards real-world application", said Zhao Han, deputy director of the ZJU institute behind the school.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

It will also institute a “proactive lockout” that suspends access when the system detects suspicious behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Before running for governor, he founded Golden Together, a policy institute focused on researching issues like housing costs, homelessness and the state’s business climate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Government data, according to the institute, showed that there were 9,600 births to mothers with foreign addresses in 2024.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

We put our heads together and pondered, down in the underworld of the great scientific institute.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

In 2018, Beijing cleared the way for researchers at state institutes and universities to start companies and market their technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Specimens came to be used as teaching aids at universities or by research institutes.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“What happened during that period was that a consensus emerged,” Eustis said, noting that it was expressed in the form of national endowments, state arts agencies, public policy institutes and corporate philanthropic departments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The individuals who were sanctioned included directors and technical specialists at the two research institutes, according to the foreign ministry.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

In this, somewhat unexpectedly, he was opposed by T. H. Huxley, who believed that museums should be primarily research institutes.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Three years ago, Ashley Bates’ longtime primary care physician instituted an annual fee of $600 per patient, which was difficult for Bates and her family to afford.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

The company has also instituted new pricing moves early in the current quarter, including short-term capacity agreements, and these “are showing promise,” according to Volozh’s letter.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a motion to hire a consultant to reevaluate how it allocates funds collected via a property tax instituted by Measure B, a 2002 ballot initiative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

He instituted several new policies, including an updated signature-verification process.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

But with the “improvement” instituted by the Forest Service, the willows went the way of the sagebrush, killed by the same impartial spray.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

The mayor continues to work with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on instituting a more targeted pied-à-terre tax, which would apply to second homes worth $5 million or more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

The state government established what was called a “concurrency doctrine,” instituting strict requirements for infrastructure development—water, sewer, schooling—that had to be established before construction permits were granted.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said the manufacturing powerhouse, the world's eighth-largest consumer of crude oil, is moving towards instituting fuel price caps to alleviate pressure on the country's energy supply.

From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026

Presidents Gerald Ford and his successor Jimmy Carter took up the mantle of reform, instituting new norms and rules designed to rein in an out-of-control presidency.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2026

Truman tried to mollify his critics by instituting a new loyalty program for the federal government.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• appoint
• come up with
• create
• enact
• establish
• inaugurate
• initiate
• install
• introduce
• launch
• organize
• set up