participate
Americanverb (used without object)
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participates,
present (3rd person singular)
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participated,
past participle, past
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participating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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participates,
present (3rd person singular)
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participated,
past participle, past
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participating
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See share 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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participationnoun
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participatornoun
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participantadjective
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participativeadjective
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participatoryadjective
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unparticipatedadjective
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unparticipatingadjective
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unparticipativeadjective
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participatinglyadverb
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participativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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participatesimple
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participatessimple
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have participatedperfect
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has participatedperfect
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am participatingprogressive
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are participatingprogressive
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is participatingprogressive
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have been participatingperfect progressive
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has been participatingperfect progressive
Past
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participatedsimple
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had participatedperfect
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was participatingprogressive
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were participatingprogressive
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had been participatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of participate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin participātus “shared,” past participle of participāre “to share,” equivalent to particip- (stem of particeps ) “taking part, partner” ( see participle) + -āre, verb suffix
Explanation
If you take part in an activity or organization, you participate in it. For example, you participate in a conversation by listening to and talking with others, or you participate in a sport by joining a team and taking part in practices and games. You can use the verb participate to mean "be involved in" or "share in." Sometimes it is easy to figure out who participates in something — the runners in a race, the people waiting their turn to audition for a part in a play. Sometimes it isn't so obvious. If two students cause trouble but the teacher punishes the whole class, it might be that in not stopping the troublemakers, she views everyone as having participated — just being there means they were involved.
Vocabulary lists containing participate
On Your Mark, Get Set, Commence Your Life!
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Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
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A Résumé of Active Words
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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:
He added: "It was right that the first minister and his team were there to participate and to be part of that."
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Tuli Tuipulotu didn’t participate in team periods early in training camp amid his ongoing contract negotiations with the Chargers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
While there are 12 voting members of the Federal Open Market Committee, 19 officials, including seven Fed presidents without a vote, participate in the meetings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
After recently meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun in Manila, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, “It would be to their benefit to participate in an effort.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“If you will participate in a teachers march, sign this list,” he called out to his fellow teachers in the audience.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
Real name Jon Harvey, Count Binface is a comedian and author who often participates in elections and by-elections always in a silver dustbin costume.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
However, they also agreed with Cipollone that tobacco liability cases do not get blanket federal preemption, especially if industry participates in fraud or other deceptive practices independent of a warning label.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
He says he participates on the opinion side as an editorial-board member and raises topics with the newsroom but “purposely avoids” stories that could benefit him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
Metro participates in one Lost & Found auction per month, according to the transportation agency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
She was the type of girl who participates, and Rowan was the kind of kid who avoids.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
He headed a unit conducting operations behind enemy lines in Chernobyl after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and participated in many battles in eastern Ukraine, according to his official biography.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The ongoing investigation is looking into who participated in the spying and assessing the culpability of those who knew it was happening.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
He was previously rumored to have looked at other sports teams, and his investment firm Bezos Expeditions has participated in a funding round of the sports media company Overtime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The experiment included 40 healthy men who participated on two separate days.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
She attended church and participated in school and community activities.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Mitchell, who ended up becoming friends with Spooner after participating in the documentary, said he is “very happy” that Spooner “came out vindicated” in the legal struggle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
They also helped entice investors to keep participating in new bond offerings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
In his resignation letter, Nesbitt said that when Burrows became party leader, he told him his "one 'red line'" was puberty blockers and his "opposition to Northern Ireland participating in the Pathways trial".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
If you spend three hours catching up over dinner instead of hopping between bars, are you participating less in nightlife?
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
I admit I feel mean participating in this scheme—but I also understand that our lives are in danger.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
