invitation

American  

[in-vi-tey-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

She receives a strange invitation in the mail from REbirth, a company that claims to create humanoid replicas of deceased loved ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

“Emmanuel’s invitation to our defenders is a sign of respect and recognition of the strength of Ukraine, our people, and our armed forces,” Zelensky said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

It should also be an invitation to reflect honestly on who we have been and who we aspire to become.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Here’s an example of what you might say to decline an invitation:

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

Soon after leaving his apprenticeship, Leonardo receives an invitation to paint an altarpiece in a chapel of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

She started by painting folk art-inspired invitations for a friend’s baby shower.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Some Americans who are getting married have even joked on Reddit that they may purchase 500 stamps before the price increase to cut down the cost of mailing out save-the-dates, wedding invitations and thank-you cards.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

It's now commonplace for invitations to read: "Your presence is enough, but if you would like to give us a gift, please donate to our honeymoon fund."

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

General questions like “How am I doing?” become invitations to give managers praise and reassurance, even if you emphasize that you want honest input.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Consulting contracts were tendered by Eastman Kodak, General Electric, and the American Cyanamid Company, and invitations flowed in to serve on government committees, to lecture, to testify before Congress.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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