participle

American  

[pahr-tuh-sip-uhl] / ˈpɑr təˌsɪp əl /

noun

Grammar.

participles plural

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

Derived Forms

• participial
  adjective
• participially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• participles
  plural

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”; see 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

See Examples For:

participle participles

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

“What is a participle? Does it ever part with its verbal significance? Does it assert action?”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

He once sent her a brief memo dedicated entirely to the misuse of present participles.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 22, 2021

Anne Carson says: “You can never know enough, never work enough, never use the infinitives and participles oddly enough, never impede the movement harshly enough, never leave the mind quickly enough.”

From Slate ● May 15, 2019

Dr. Hussein came over to rescue us from white space and dangling participles.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2015

The headlines that “win,” according to Spartz’s testing algorithm, are usually hyperbolic, and many of them begin with dangling participles or end with prepositions.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 29, 2014

Many participles have turned into prepositions, such as according, allowing, barring, concerning, considering, excepting, excluding, failing, following, given, granted, including, owing, regarding, and respecting, and they don’t need subjects at all.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker