involve

[ in-volv ]

/ ɪnˈvɒlv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR involve ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), in·volved, in·volv·ing.

to include as a necessary circumstance, condition, or consequence; imply; entail: This job involves long hours and hard work.

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 by with): 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!

to combine inextricably (usually followed by with).

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

to engage the interests or emotions or commitment of: to become involved in the disarmament movement; to become 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.

Archaic.to roll, surround, or shroud, as in a wrapping.
to roll up on itself; wind spirally; coil; wreathe.

Nearby words

Origin of involve

1350–1400; Middle English involven < Latin involvere to roll in or up, equivalent to in- in-² + volvere to roll; see revolve

SYNONYMS FOR involve

1. necessitate, require, demand. 6, 7, 9. Involve, entangle, implicate imply getting a person connected or bound up with something from which it is difficult to extricate himself or herself. To involve is to bring more or less deeply into something, especially of a complicated, embarrassing, or troublesome nature: to involve someone in debt. To entangle (usually passive or reflexive) is to involve so deeply in a tangle as to confuse and make helpless: to entangle oneself in a mass of contradictory statements. To implicate is to connect a person with something discreditable or wrong: implicated in a plot.

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ANTONYMS FOR involve

7. extricate.

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Related forms

in·volve·ment, nounin·volv·er, nounin·ter·in·volve, verb (used with object), in·ter·in·volved, in·ter·in·volv·ing.non·in·volve·ment, noun

o·ver·in·volve, verb (used with object), o·ver·in·volved, o·ver·in·volv·ing.pre·in·volve, verb (used with object), pre·in·volved, pre·in·volv·ing.pre·in·volve·ment, nounre·in·volve, verb (used with object), re·in·volved, re·in·volv·ing.re·in·volve·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for involving

Moraca pointed to another form of return fraud, involving gift cards.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even extreme beauty — and even the best of bodies and most involving pictures of them — can become repetitive.
Young, Hot, and Nude: Ryan McGinley’s Body Count|Tim Teeman|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, Lauer even ended up with a character arc of his own, involving his reluctance to utter the word “sharknado.”
‘Sharknado 2’ in Winter: Has the Franchise Jumped the Shark?|Jason Lynch|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most common aura is visual, involving light sensitivity or blurred vision.
How to Destroy Your Headaches|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There were two major lawsuits, one involving basketball and one involving a housing complex he owned.
Mark Cuban Warns That Basketball Players Could Get the Sterling Treatment Next|Evan Weiner|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The French abolished monarchy by a frontal attack upon the citadel, involving serious loss.
James Watt|Andrew Carnegie
But he declined adopting the suggestion, as involving a possible lie, and asked to be left to his own resources.
The Seventh Regiment|George L. Wood
The common method of distinctly denying miracles is one involving either some atheistic or pantheistic principle.
Modern Skepticism|C. J. Ellicott
Elizabeth made various proposals to Mary, all involving her resignation as queen, or at least the suspension of her rights.
A Short History of Scotland|Andrew Lang
Look at the industry of the Paris stage: the new plays that are produced every week, involving endless rehearsals day and night.
A Wanderer in Paris|E. V. Lucas

British Dictionary definitions for involving

involve

/ (ɪnˈvɒlv) /

verb (tr)

to include or contain as a necessary partthe task involves hard work

to have an effect on; spread tothe investigation involved many innocent people

(often passive; usually foll by in or with) to concern or associate significantlymany people were involved in the crime

(often passive) to make complicated; tanglethe situation was further involved by her disappearance

rare, often poetic to wrap or surround

maths obsolete to raise to a specified power

Derived Formsinvolvement, nouninvolver, noun

Word Origin for involve

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

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

Word Origin and History for involving

involve

late 14c., "envelop, surround," from Latin involvere "envelop, surround, overwhelm," literally "roll into," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + volvere "to roll" (see volvox). Originally "envelop, surround," sense of "take in, include" first recorded c.1600. Related: Involved; Involving.

Idioms and Phrases with involving

involve

see get involved with.

involve

verb (used with object), in·volved, in·volv·ing.

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Origin of involve

Examples from the Web for involving

involve

verb (tr)

Word Origin for involve

involve

involve