communicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to impart knowledge of; make known.
to communicate information;
to communicate one's happiness.
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to give to another; impart; transmit.
to communicate a disease.
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to administer the Eucharist to.
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Archaic. to share in or partake of.
verb (used without object)
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to give or interchange thoughts, feelings, information, or the like, by writing, speaking, etc..
They communicate with each other every day.
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to express thoughts, feelings, or information easily or effectively.
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to be joined or connected.
The rooms communicated by means of a hallway.
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to partake of the Eucharist.
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Obsolete. to take part or participate.
verb
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to impart (knowledge) or exchange (thoughts, feelings, or ideas) by speech, writing, gestures, etc
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to allow (a feeling, emotion, etc) to be sensed (by), willingly or unwillingly; transmit (to)
the dog communicated his fear to the other animals
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(intr) to have a sympathetic mutual understanding
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to make or have a connecting passage or route; connect
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(tr) to transmit (a disease); infect
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(intr) Christianity to receive or administer Communion
Synonym Usage
Communicate, impart denote giving to a person or thing a part or share of something, now usually something immaterial, as knowledge, thoughts, hopes, qualities, or properties. Communicate, the more common word, implies often an indirect or gradual transmission: to communicate information by means of letters, telegrams, etc.; to communicate one's wishes to someone else. Impart usually implies directness of action: to impart information.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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communicatornoun
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overcommunicateverb
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precommunicateverb
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communicatoryadjective
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noncommunicatingadjective
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uncommunicatingadjective
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well-communicatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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communicatesimple
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communicatessimple
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have communicatedperfect
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has communicatedperfect
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am communicatingprogressive
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are communicatingprogressive
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is communicatingprogressive
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have been communicatingperfect progressive
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has been communicatingperfect progressive
Past
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communicatedsimple
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had communicatedperfect
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was communicatingprogressive
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were communicatingprogressive
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had been communicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of communicate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin commūnicātus “imparted,” past participle of commūnicāre “to impart, make common,” equivalent to commūn(is) common + -icāre, verb suffix
Explanation
To communicate is to exchange words, feelings, or information with others. They did communicate through texting and picture sharing, but the hug he gave his mom when he came home from college communicated more love than any instant message. There are countless ways to communicate! Using an exclamation point in the first sentence is a way to communicate excitement at the many ways to use communicate. A facial expression can communicate joy or anger, and something written can communicate ideas and instructions. Cave men learned to communicate by drawing on cave walls, and people in modern times communicate electronically. Up close or far away, humans and animals — and some would say extraterrestrials, too — are born to communicate.
Vocabulary lists containing communicate
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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STAAR Grade 7 Reading: The Language of the Test, List 1
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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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.
See Examples For:
Residents say they lounge in the sun on unfinished balconies , take in a bird’s-eye view of the neighborhood and, of course, communicate with one another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Washington, though, remains a major ally of Kyiv, providing it notably with intelligence and access to the Starlink satellite system that allows its frontline troops to communicate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Comms" - how politicians communicate and explain themselves and talk to the public - is not the be-all and end-all.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Because of this, platonic marriages can often end amicably. The couple may be able to communicate effectively about the intricacies of their case without the emotional pain that often comes with divorce.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Professionals perform effectively in teams and communicate effectively to individuals and groups through various means.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Serotonin communicates by attaching to receptors on a cell's surface.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Ana Carolina Evangelista, director of the Institute for the Study of Religion, told AFP that Michelle Bolsonaro was also "the person who connects and communicates organically with Brazil's evangelical community."
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
He hasn't done himself any favours with the way he communicates in public – easily irritable and brash.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The manufacturer, who communicates on encrypted messaging boards such as Telegram and Signal, charges $290 for 10 vials of compounded tirzepatide, which will last Awadalla about a year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
He has become more taciturn: he too now communicates by postcard.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
The order sending the case to trial was signed on Friday and the decision communicated to the parties on Monday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bass herself has also communicated through disappearing messages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Our performance skills in thousands of domains cannot be communicated to machines," he explains.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
One of the officials said Iran recently communicated to the U.S. that it was a mistake to shoot at commercial ships and that both sides should continue negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The portrait communicated everything I wanted to be—controlled, intelligent, and beyond the fear.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Arnault’s arrival on X was amplified by Elon Musk, who reposted the luxury tycoon’s inaugural post and endorsed the idea of communicating directly with the public rather than via the media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Brain regions that had not been communicating properly shifted toward more typical patterns.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Now, which has been communicating with neighborhood residents about conditions around the warehouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
She added that the organisation would be communicating with the police minister, the home secretary and the prime minister.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
I almost had the impression that they were physically incapable of communicating with each other about ordinary things.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
