participate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Related Words
See share 1.
Other Word Forms
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.
According to the researchers, the organization was not involved in collecting or analyzing the data and did not participate in the publication process, aside from reviewing a draft of the manuscript before submission.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
Grand Slam rules state that all main-draw players are required to participate in "feature media opportunities" before and during the tournament "in order to help drive engagement with the sport".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The companies, including TRM’s head of policy, Ari Redbord, and Binance’s chief compliance officer, Noah Perlman, discussed it, but Binance declined to participate, the document and the person said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
A voluntary framework could work, given that AI companies want to be able to get government contracts and participate in other government partnerships, the analysts added.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
“May I ask why you never participate in sim tests?” he said, and I felt my insides shrivel a bit.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
