participle

American  

[pahr-tuh-sip-uhl] / ˈpɑr təˌsɪp əl /

noun

Grammar.

1. a form derived from a verb, used in English as an adjective to express participation in the action or state of the verb, or combined with an auxiliary verb to construct any of various tenses, as in a burning candle, a known fact, I am freezing, She has gone: a participle does not specify person or number, but may have a subject or object, show tense, etc.

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participle British  

/ ˈpɑːtɪsɪpəl, ˌpɑːtɪˈsɪpɪəl, pɑːˈtɪsɪpəl /

noun

1. a nonfinite form of verbs, in English and other languages, used adjectivally and in the formation of certain compound tenses See also present participle past participle

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participle Cultural  

1. The verb form that combines with an auxiliary verb to indicate certain tenses. The present participle is formed by adding -ing to the infinitive; it indicates present action: “The girl is swimming”; “I am thinking.” (Compare gerund.) The past participle usually ends in -ed; it indicates completed or past action: “The gas station has closed”; “The mayor had spoken.” Participles may also function as adjectives: “Your mother is a charming person”; “This is a talking parrot”; “Spoken words cannot be revoked.”

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Grammar

See dangling participle, misplaced modifier.

Discover More

A “dangling” participle is one that is not clearly connected to the word it modifies: “Standing at the corner, two children walked past me.” A better version of this example would be, “While I was standing at the corner, two children walked past me.”

Other Word Forms

• participial adjective
• participially adverb

Etymology

Origin of participle

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, variant of participe, from Latin participium, derivative of particeps “taking part,” from parti- (stem of pars “piece, portion”; part ) + -ceps “taking” (combining form of capere “to take”)

Compare meaning

How does participle compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gerund vs. participle

Explanation

A participle is a verb that acts like an adjective, like a running leap, scorned lover, or boiled egg. This is a technical word that will come up when you're studying grammar or linguistics. From a Greek root meaning “partaker,” a participle wants to partake of both the verb and adjective worlds. If you said, "I need a running start!" before a race, running is a participle. If you notice a trapped bear, trapped is the participle. This is a word that is a little confusing to understand, even though you use participles all the time.

Example Sentences

Ontos is the Greek participle from the verb “to be” and means “being.”

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

He is one of the three writers credited on Too Late for Love, none of whom seem to know how to use the past participle of light correctly.

From BBC • May 12, 2019

“To bald” may not be a common intransitive verb, but that has not prevented “balding” from entering the language as a participle.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 2, 2019

Dongling participle: “Beneath my desk, tied in knots and encased in rubber, I couldn’t untangle the adapter cords from the headphones.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 20, 2018

Factum, the neuter past participle, means ‘that which has been done’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton