participate

American  

[pahr-tis-uh-peyt] / pɑrˈtɪs əˌpeɪt /

verb (used without object)

participated, participating

1. to take or have a part or share, as with others; partake; share (usually followed byin ).

   to participate in profits;

   to participate in a play.

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verb (used with object)

participated, participating

1. Archaic. to take or have a part or share in; partake in; share.

participate British  

/ pɑːˈtɪsɪˌpeɪt /

verb

1. to take part, be or become actively involved, or share (in)

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Related Words

See share ¹.

Other Word Forms

• participant adjective
• participatingly adverb
• participation noun
• participative adjective
• participatively adverb
• participator noun
• participatory adjective
• unparticipated adjective
• unparticipating adjective
• unparticipative adjective

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.

Example Sentences

He also argued that prediction markets are more accurate when both experts and nonexperts participate in them.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

"One of the things I think the film does really well is show you have to participate in the world you want to live," fellow lead actor Anne Hathaway says.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

However, would-be investors have approached Anthropic with proposals to participate in a fund-raising round which would value it at as much as $900 billion, according to multiple reports.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Section 2 guarantees that minorities have an equal opportunity “to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

Their goal was to experience the joy and empowerment that education creates and to participate fully in American society.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Related Words

• aid
• compete
• cooperate
• engage
• engage in
• perform
• play
• share