invite
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
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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)
noun
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
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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
Related Words
See call.
Other Word Forms
- invitee noun
- inviter noun
- invitor noun
- preinvite verb (used with object)
- quasi-invited adjective
- reinvite verb
- self-invited adjective
- uninvited adjective
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.
US President Donald Trump, who established the Artemis programme during his first presidency in 2017, called the crew while in space to invite them to the White House for an Oval Office reception.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
I invite you to explore what shape that feeling takes, not just in your mind, but in your body.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
He then made the fateful decision to encourage families in his district to message him if they wanted to invite him to their quinceañeras.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
A White House official told Reuters that the decision to invite Kenya came after talks among G7 members.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
“I’d invite you to come along, but I’m meeting someone from back home. Besides, I suspect it’s not your kind of show.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
