invite
Americanverb (used with object)
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invites,
present (3rd person singular)
-
invited,
past participle, past
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inviting
present participle
-
to request the presence or participation of in a kindly, courteous, or complimentary way, especially to request to come or go to some place, gathering, entertainment, etc., or to do something.
to invite friends to dinner.
- Synonyms:
- bid
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to request politely or formally.
to invite donations.
- Synonyms:
- solicit
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to act so as to bring on or render probable.
to invite accidents by fast driving.
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to call forth or give occasion for.
Those big shoes invite laughter.
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to attract, allure, entice, or tempt.
verb (used without object)
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invites,
present (3rd person singular)
-
invited,
past participle, past
-
inviting
present participle
noun
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invites
plural
verb
-
to ask (a person or persons) in a friendly or polite way (to do something, attend an event, etc)
he invited them to dinner
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to make a request for, esp publicly or formally
to invite applications
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to bring on or provoke; give occasion for
you invite disaster by your actions
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to welcome or tempt
noun
Synonym Usage
See call.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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inviteenoun
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inviternoun
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invitornoun
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reinviteverb
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preinviteverb (used with object)
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quasi-invitedadjective
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self-invitedadjective
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uninvitedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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invitesimple
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invitessimple
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have invitedperfect
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has invitedperfect
-
am invitingprogressive
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are invitingprogressive
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is invitingprogressive
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have been invitingperfect progressive
-
has been invitingperfect progressive
Past
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invitedsimple
-
had invitedperfect
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was invitingprogressive
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were invitingprogressive
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had been invitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of invite
First recorded in 1525–35, invite is from the Latin word invītāre
Explanation
When you invite a friend to do something, you request her company, or encourage her to come with you. You might invite a group of neighbors to help you throw a block party. You could invite your friend to join you on a road trip, or invite your parents to your art show at a local gallery. You're making a polite request. Similarly, a newspaper might invite readers' comments, or a school might invite ideas for how to spend grant money. Invite is also casual shorthand for "invitation." When you tempt someone to react, you also invite that reaction: "Your strange film really invites harsh criticism."
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.
See Examples For:
"Someone might invite you to go for food or to go for a drink - and you're like, 'I don't really want to say no because this is a chance to connect with someone.'"
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Inside, bright primary colors and cleverly placed cutouts invite readers into the house to explore rooms tantalizingly out of view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Solidarity is one of the most important ways to tell someone: I am here. That’s why we invite you to help, together.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The fake party invite did not lead to the official website for a start, and there were anomalies like an extra “s.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
‘I’m going to write to him and invite him to visit,’ I reply.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Soon after opening a separate office in his native northern England he gave an interview there to Elizabeth Day, a writer, whose podcast "How to Fail" invites celebrities to reflect on mistakes they have made.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
We spent over a week analyzing those videos frame-by-frame to pull out every detail we could find—usernames, emails, calendar invites and internal tools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Every week Prof. Morris invites over four other professors—as “clever and famous” as he—to discourse on learned subjects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Its whimsical grandiosity practically invites us to use the passive voice, a kind of verbal genuflection.”
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
I introduce myself, and without much more, the father invites me in.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
Entry to the service at Swansea Minster was for family, friends and invited guests only.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Park City, Utah, 2007: A friend who was a bigwig at Lehman Brothers invited me to give a short talk on Wall Street trends and then ski with a group of investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
During his first speech outside No. 10 Downing Street, Burnham addressed a crowd including teenage influencers invited because they make TikTok clips about Labour politics.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
People have been invited to "pay their respects" by lining roads in Newton and Mumbles, a seaside suburb of Swansea, while others began gathering outside her home in the morning.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
One late winter afternoon, the three sisters were invited to the Rochester home of a family named Draper.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
But he found himself rationing the meal swipes, starting the semester conservatively and ending with extras, which he used by inviting his friends to come with him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Organisers have started a global campaign inviting LGBTQ+ creatives to design the official logo outline for the bid.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Bottura responded by creating a recipe for riso cacio e pepe and inviting people around the world to cook it with him.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
He began hauling chairs and a stack of conversation prompts to parks across New York, inviting commuters, dog walkers and tourists to sit down and talk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Clare looked beyond Gingersnipes, into the cottage, which was as he’d left it —cozy and inviting as ever.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
