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.
It denounces the judge’s “attempts to strip RIH of its ability to participate in these proceedings, and, by extension, to sever this court from the party whose rights are directly at stake.”
From Slate • May 19, 2026
He was one of several Los Angeles-based artists to participate in a Road to World Cup Community Day last month at Inglewood High United.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Researchers are now encouraging more people, especially landowners, to participate in citizen science projects and collect high quality observations.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
In 2023, judges halted the trial, deeming the wheelchair-bound Kabuga "unfit to participate meaningfully" in proceedings, but he was ordered to remain detained awaiting provisional release.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Afraid both for her safety and that she’d never be able to find work if she were arrested, I begged her not to participate.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
