participate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
participates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
participated,
past participle, past
-
participating
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
participates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
participated,
past participle, past
-
participating
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See share 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
participationnoun
-
participatornoun
-
participantadjective
-
participativeadjective
-
participatoryadjective
-
unparticipatedadjective
-
unparticipatingadjective
-
unparticipativeadjective
-
participatinglyadverb
-
participativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
participatesimple
-
participatessimple
-
have participatedperfect
-
has participatedperfect
-
am participatingprogressive
-
are participatingprogressive
-
is participatingprogressive
-
have been participatingperfect progressive
-
has been participatingperfect progressive
Past
-
participatedsimple
-
had participatedperfect
-
was participatingprogressive
-
were participatingprogressive
-
had been participatingperfect progressive
Future
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!
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Résumé of Active Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
And yet, the Super Bowl is the most watched annual television broadcast in the United States, with lots of monetary rewards for those who participate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
Owners who participate provide extensive information about their dogs' lives, while a subset also submit biological samples each year.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
All 50 states participate in the same arrangement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
He is due to take an oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday and will later participate in a consecration service - a stripped-down version of a corronation, which Norway no longer has.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
She was angry at herself for falling into old habits and agreeing to participate in Owen’s séance.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
It is one of the few public accountability mechanisms that the Fed participates in where the focus is mostly on monetary policy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Real name Jon Harvey, Count Binface is a comedian and author who often participates in elections and by-elections always in a silver dustbin costume.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
However, they also agreed with Cipollone that tobacco liability cases do not get blanket federal preemption, especially if industry participates in fraud or other deceptive practices independent of a warning label.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
To see if your county participates, check here.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
She was the type of girl who participates, and Rowan was the kind of kid who avoids.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Though the influx of agents eventually left Minnesota, taking their horrific behavior elsewhere, state officials have been busy attempting to pursue accountability, filing numerous cases against the federal officers who participated in the raids.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
The forecasting exercise Warsh participated in from 2007-11 received less attention than it does today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The crowd participated too Friday, giving Tucker ovations more befitting a hitter on a heater than one on ice each time he stepped to the plate, where he put up a fight all night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
The ongoing investigation is looking into who participated in the spying and assessing the culpability of those who knew it was happening.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The couple participated in sacred ceremonies, dressing and acting as the new Dionysus and Athena, the patron goddess of the city.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
In 2023, workers accused the company of disrupting union activities, including implying workers could be dismissed for participating in a union protest and locking emergency exits on the day workers planned to picket outside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The first two companies that were named as cloud providers participating in the financing initiative were Sharon AI and Firmus Technologies, according to Nvidia’s announcement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The next stage of the research is expected to involve installing improved lighting systems in participating daycare spaces.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
It quickly built a loyal following of customers in the United States and elsewhere, with many participating in a trend of posting videos of their "Shein haul" of new clothes online.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
If his conduct was good and he was participating in the educational and rehabilitation programs offered there, he would return to court for a second evaluation in another three months, just before his eighteenth birthday.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
