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
-
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
-
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:
Ads will invite individuals to speak on the phone with a hired “healthcare professional” who will rubber-stamp a prescription and authorize the compounded medication to be shipped directly to the unwitting patient.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Trump is meanwhile expected to invite Xi to the G20 summit in December at his Doral resort in Miami.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Hospital bosses carried out a number of internal reviews into increased infant mortality in 2015 and 2016, but did not invite Cheshire Police to investigate until May 2017.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Perhaps these international festivals are testing their own waters to see if they’re obliged to invite Americans to their party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Do you think sometime I could invite my friend Rishi? He really loves fishing, and I know he’d love it here.”
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
“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
"These were personal invites in many cases, literally," said Goldy Hyder, president and chief executive of the Business Council of Canada.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Mr. Threadgill, who plays alto saxophone and flute and is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, first assembled this band 25 years ago to further a compositional strategy that is singular and yet invites improvised collaboration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Facebook turned from a place to share photos and event invites to a place where Boomers give themselves AI psychosis.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
His mother invites Maxine to please come again.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
He invited his followers to vote in a poll he created for how to title artificial intelligence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
People like it, she says, because they feel like they’ve been invited over to her house.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
According to the Motown Museum, the Del-Phis invited Reeves — then a secretary to William “Mickey” Stevenson, Motown’s Artists and Repertoire director — to join their girl group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Earlier this month, Kaminetsky invited top shopper Sarah Hayden to speak at an employee town hall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
As a rule, wandering souls were never able to cross the threshold into Clare’s cottage unless they were invited.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Great artworks, like poetry, transform their subjects through rhythm, tension and metaphor, inviting viewers on explorations that unfold, deepen and surprise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The next day, I sent her a message thanking her for inviting me.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Last school year, after the lacrosse season ended, Casani sent him a text inviting him to return.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Not that you could, really, when “Chronovisor” is so inviting.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
I answered by inviting him to accompany me on a general inspection of the result of my labours.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
