invite
Americanverb (used with object)
-
invites,
present (3rd person singular)
-
invited,
past participle, past
-
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
-
to request politely or formally.
to invite donations.
- Synonyms:
- solicit
-
to act so as to bring on or render probable.
to invite accidents by fast driving.
-
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)
-
invites,
present (3rd person singular)
-
invited,
past participle, past
-
inviting
present participle
noun
-
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
-
to make a request for, esp publicly or formally
to invite applications
-
to bring on or provoke; give occasion for
you invite disaster by your actions
-
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
-
self-invitedadjective
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uninvitedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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invitesimple
-
invitessimple
-
have invitedperfect
-
has invitedperfect
-
am invitingprogressive
-
are invitingprogressive
-
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
-
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:
Will your question invite helpful suggestions, or, unbeknownst to you, poke a bear who is exhausted by people making this same mistake over and over?
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
Although the social backlash that followed caused the company to invite Abascal to return to her old home, she never did, dying in hospital on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
She also said she would invite the main frontier labs "for a discussion on how we can support ongoing industry efforts to pace the frontier."
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
It was an invite I was hoping for but never got.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
A couple of weeks after we settled in, Mrs. Kuen visited Ma to invite us to the Chinese Methodist Church.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Many of the top comments agree with you that the person who invites everyone to their birthday dinner should be the one to pay.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The network invites them into the studio so its audience can watch them lose.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
“You don’t need to worry about presenting a certain way or being perceived in a certain way. All the characters in ‘The Pineapple’ are degenerates, and this show invites you to become one as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
A move justified on those grounds invites the obvious follow-up: how much higher?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Mom...a boy who invites me to the opera is either joking or delusional.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
I had invited them into my apartment expecting an awkward demonstration, but the work was remarkably thorough and spared me from having to do it myself.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The filmmakers are allowed virtually unlimited access to the family’s life, with Fielder even invited to move into their rented house in Del Mar, near San Diego.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
It isn’t clear who will be invited to own one.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The central bank in 2021 lifted restrictions imposed on the bank after its financial health improved, and the government in 2022 invited prospective buyers to bid for a majority stake in IDBI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
I feel a flash of hurt that I wasn’t invited.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Suddenly, the IPO waters are looking a lot less inviting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
On Thursday, police said they had begun issuing letters inviting people "reasonably suspected" of committing offences linked to the protests to interview.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
David approached women on the street inviting them to the women-only section.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
While that pattern, with the inviting name of “golden cross,” isn’t necessarily meant to time market purchases, history suggests that, at the very least, it shouldn’t be ignored.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
I don’t know if his eyes are steely and upset, or if they’re warm and inviting.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
