Synonyms

involve

American

[in-volv] / ɪnˈvɒlv /

verb (used with object)

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

This job involves long hours and hard work.

Synonyms:

demand, require, necessitate
to engage or employ.
to affect, as something within the scope of operation.
to include, contain, or comprehend within itself or its scope.
to bring into an intricate or complicated form or condition.
to bring into difficulties (usually followed bywith ).

The investigation discovered a plot to involve one nation in a war with another.
to cause to be troublesomely associated or concerned, as in something embarrassing or unfavorable.

Don't involve me in your quarrel!

Antonyms:

extricate
to combine inextricably (usually followed bywith ).
to implicate, as in guilt or crime, or in any matter or affair.
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.
to preoccupy or absorb fully (usually used passively or reflexively).

You are much too involved with the problem to see it clearly.
to envelop or enfold, as if with a wrapping.
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 British

/ ɪnˈvɒlv /

verb

to include or contain as a necessary part

the task involves hard work
to have an effect on; spread to

the investigation involved many innocent people
(often passive; usually foll by in or with) to concern or associate significantly

many people were involved in the crime
(often passive) to make complicated; tangle

the situation was further involved by her disappearance
rare to wrap or surround
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

involve Idioms

see get involved with.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of involve

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

Explanation

To involve means to connect. When you get involved in the Spanish Club, you attend meetings and events. If doing math well is involved in understanding advanced chemistry, that means it's a necessary part of it. When someone is very involved, it means they are engaged or connected to a lot of activities. When someone is self-involved, all they connect with is him or herself. If getting ice cream involves walking a mile to the ice cream shop, the exercise offsets the indulgence. When no exercise is involved, it's less healthy.

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Vocabulary lists containing involve

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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.

See Examples For:

involve involves involved involving

This would involve imposing sanctions on not just Iran but any entity doing business with it.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

The next stage of the research is expected to involve installing improved lighting systems in participating daycare spaces.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Modifying the Planning Agreement will involve a lengthy process that involves councils and other planning bodies.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Many of the great sports stories involve overcoming adversity, and Steiner has become a great sports story, which is still being written.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

In addition, more than 52 percent of the shootouts between extremists and police now involve white extremists.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

In many villages of northern Indian, an important wedding ritual involves women from bride's family singing a medley of expletives while welcoming the groom's party - a tradition that nobody finds offensive.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Acting on your own desires can feel selfish, but Petrick’s interviews suggest a trip that involves travel is one of the few times people let themselves off the hook, guilt included.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“It’s a comes-in and goes-out type of situation,” Keeler, who is active in her local teacher’s union, which involves negotiating for raises and better working conditions, said of her income.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

The end of the summer practices for San Clemente involves jogging from campus 1.8 miles to the San Clemente Pier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

In the Pouncey family, becoming a man usually involves shooting something.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Environment Minister David Maynier has congratulated all the agencies involved, saying "illegal wildlife trafficking can only be challenged by a co-ordinated defence of our natural heritage".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Some of those marriages involved weddings between girls as young as 15 and men in their 30s, according to a Senate analysis of the bill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

He added that the Guards were involved in the talks and that the maps under discussion were drawn up by the armed forces.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Big nonbank companies such as Visa, BlackRock, Google and DoorDash have moved to get involved in the stablecoin market, which has been dominated by Tether and Circle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

In fact, it wasn’t detective work at all—there was no detection involved.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

In July, NPR reported that the department had taken down important safety data about crashes involving cars and bicycles and pedestrians, which are used by city planners to figure out where to focus road improvements.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

The authors enthused that the partnership "showcased how innovative approaches, even involving unconventional collaborators, can revolutionize oceanographic research."

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

The settlement arrives amid a bellwether trial in federal court involving four states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The case, which began as a coordinated, bipartisan effort involving attorneys general from 29 states, eventually expanded to encompass 47, as well as the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

But Morrow had led a very different life from Halliday’s—one involving a much greater connection to humanity.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023