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View synonyms for involve

involve

[in-volv]

verb (used with object)

involved, involving 
  1. to include as a necessary circumstance, condition, or consequence; imply; entail.

    This job involves long hours and hard work.

  2. to engage or employ.

  3. to affect, as something within the scope of operation.

  4. to include, contain, or comprehend within itself or its scope.

  5. to bring into an intricate or complicated form or condition.

  6. to bring into difficulties (usually followed bywith ).

    The investigation discovered a plot to involve one nation in a war with another.

  7. to cause to be troublesomely associated or concerned, as in something embarrassing or unfavorable.

    Don't involve me in your quarrel!

    Antonyms: extricate
  8. to combine inextricably (usually followed bywith ).

  9. to implicate, as in guilt or crime, or in any matter or affair.

  10. to engage the interests or emotions or commitment of.

    The professor involved many students in the disarmament movement.

    Her husband became involved with another woman.

  11. to preoccupy or absorb fully (usually used passively or reflexively).

    You are much too involved with the problem to see it clearly.

  12. to envelop or enfold, as if with a wrapping.

  13. to swallow up, engulf, or overwhelm.

    1. Archaic.,  to roll, surround, or shroud, as in a wrapping.

    2. to roll up on itself; wind spirally; coil; wreathe.



involve

/ ɪnˈvɒlv /

verb

  1. to include or contain as a necessary part

    the task involves hard work

  2. to have an effect on; spread to

    the investigation involved many innocent people

  3. (often passive; usually foll by in or with) to concern or associate significantly

    many people were involved in the crime

  4. (often passive) to make complicated; tangle

    the situation was further involved by her disappearance

  5. rare,  to wrap or surround

  6. obsolete,  maths to raise to a specified power

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • involvement noun
  • involver noun
  • interinvolve verb (used with object)
  • overinvolve verb (used with object)
  • preinvolve verb (used with object)
  • reinvolve verb (used with object)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of involve1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English involven, from Latin involvere “to roll in or up,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + volvere “to roll”; revolve
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Word History and Origins

Origin of involve1

C14: from Latin involvere to roll in, surround, from in- ² + volvere to roll
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Idioms and Phrases

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Synonym Study

Involve, entangle, implicate imply getting a person connected or bound up with something from which it is difficult to be freed. To involve is to bring more or less deeply into something, especially of a complicated, embarrassing, or troublesome nature: I'd rather not to involve someone else in my debt. To entangle (usually passive or reflexive) is to involve so deeply in a tangle as to confuse and make helpless: The candidate tended to entangle himself in a mass of contradictory statements. To implicate is to connect a person with something discreditable or wrong: She was implicated in a plot to assassinate the governor.
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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.

With a background in sketch comedy, Reich is also involved in its development and production, describing his time spent as 30% on Dropout shows and 70% on the company.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Altman has discussed new tools to help finance his aspirations; realizing them increasingly involves large amounts of debt.

The offer, which involved the sale of a little more than 71 million shares, received bids for more 3.8 billion shares -- making it the most-subscribed big Indian IPO in nearly two decades.

Read more on Barron's

Defending Europe against drones involves several steps: detecting and identifying the unmanned vehicles, deciding whether to neutralize them, and exerting pressure away from the skies to deter enemies from launching them.

Paulson used an analogy involving a children’s book character named Lowly Worm who eats peas that create visible bumps on his body.

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