invitation

American  

[in-vi-tay-shuhn] / ˌɪn vɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• invitations
  plural

1. the act of inviting.

2. the written or spoken form with which a person is invited.

3. something offered as a suggestion.

   an invitation to consider a business merger.

4. attraction or incentive; allurement.

5. a provocation.

   The speech was an invitation to rebellion.

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adjective

1. invitational.

invitation British  

/ ˌɪnvɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. 1. the act of inviting, such as an offer of entertainment or hospitality

   2. ( as modifier )

      an invitation dance

      an invitation race

2. the act of enticing or attracting; allurement

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preinvitation
  noun
• reinvitation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• invitations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of invitation

1590–1600; < Latin invītātiōn- (stem of invītātiō ), equivalent to invītāt ( us ) (past participle of invītāre to invite ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

An invitation is a request, a solicitation, or an attempt to get another person to join you at a specific event. You need an invitation to go to the Academy Awards, even if you're George Clooney. When you ask people to attend a party, visit your beach house, or witness your marriage, you invite them — using the verb — and you've given them an invitation. An invitation can be delivered as a verbal request, a beautifully engraved card, or even puffs of smoke behind an airplane. If you give invitations to two hundred of your closest friends to attend your Mardi Gras party, you’d better make a lot of jambalaya.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

invitation invitations

Becerra’s spokesperson said the campaign declined the invitation because of a full campaign schedule.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Within minutes, Fury was offering to go for a pint with the Matchroom boss - and extended the invitation to Joshua.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Access to Instinct’s agent, which is also called Instinct, is available by invitation only.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

The kernel of the drama—unfortunately kernel is probably the right term—is Frederick’s demand, or more gently put, his invitation, that Bach create a three-part fugue on a theme the king composed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

She sent a letter directly to Premier Nikita Khrushchev, asking him to extend an invitation to Bobby for the World Youth Festival.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Rather than declining invitations that you can’t afford, proffer your own invites for dinner or to a barbecue or the county fair.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

After the hounding of Diana by the paparazzi, he says he personally rang tabloid newspaper editors to disinvite them from the Abbey funeral, after their invitations had already been sent out.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Those without invitations from race partners have had to spend several hundred, and in some cases several thousand, euros to attend the three-day event, covering practice, qualifying and the Grand Prix.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Under the city’s ethics law, members of city boards and commissions are prohibited from appearing on fundraising invitations for city candidates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

There were several letters about distant relatives dying, school and job acceptance letters, invitations to weddings.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Related Words

• appeal
• bid
• challenge
• date
• encouragement
• overture
• petition
• proposition
• request
• solicitation
• suggestion
• summons