innovate
Americanverb (used without object)
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innovates,
present (3rd person singular)
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innovated,
past participle, past
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innovating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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innovates,
present (3rd person singular)
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innovated,
past participle, past
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innovating
present participle
-
to introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time.
to innovate a computer operating system.
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Archaic. to alter.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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innovatesimple
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innovatessimple
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have innovatedperfect
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has innovatedperfect
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am innovatingprogressive
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are innovatingprogressive
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is innovatingprogressive
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have been innovatingperfect progressive
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has been innovatingperfect progressive
Past
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innovatedsimple
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had innovatedperfect
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was innovatingprogressive
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were innovatingprogressive
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had been innovatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of innovate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin innovātus, past participle of innovāre “to renew, alter,” equivalent to in- intensive prefix + novātus, past participle of novā(re) “to renew,” verbal derivative of novus “new” + -tus past participle suffix); see in- 2, new
Explanation
Innovate means to bring something new to something. If you love cranberry seltzers, you might innovate by adding limeade or by making the drink with cran-raspberry juice instead. In our culture obsessed with finding the next new thing, the word innovate is very popular––behind every "new and improved" label slapped onto the packaging of some perfectly useful product is some eager beaver buried in the ranks of a company, scheming ways to innovate.
Vocabulary lists containing innovate
A Résumé of Active Words
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Academic Vocabulary, Units 4–6
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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:
Lance Hastings, chief executive of the California Manufacturers & Technology Assn., said in a statement Friday that the governor’s veto protects “the ability of manufacturers to innovate and create here in California.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
With rentals belly up and access to films democratized, there was no further push to innovate, no concerted attempt to compete with the real Hollywood studios.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
“We are a business that is trying to innovate and modernize the retail experience.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
The company has continued to innovate with lenses that slow the progression of short-sightedness in children.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
And thus the establishment of the Great Charter, without seeming anywise to innovate in the distribution of political power, became a kind of epoch in the constitution.
From The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part A. From the Britons of Early Times to King John by David Hume
A Nike spokeswoman said that more diverse interests in China plays to Nike’s strengths as a company that innovates across sporting categories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Meta hasn’t been sitting idly by while OpenAI innovates.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
The collective bargaining agreement, which extends the current CBA by four years, through 2030, “revolutionizes the game, raises standards, and innovates the business,” Berman added.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2024
“Industry innovates and over-complies,” Duffy said, citing a 1970s EPA rule that required power plants to use sulfur dioxide scrubbers.
From Washington Times ● May 11, 2023
What but his faculty to brave, to suffer, to endure—the patience that resists firmly, and innovates slowly?
From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 3, October, 1851 by Various
Against the country that had innovated the jogo bonito, Haaland’s performance was a masterpiece of straightforward brutality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
“It’s possible that we’ve innovated with plants under more scrutiny than any other company ever,” he added.
From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026
Further, American growers have not just decreased imports and increased their exports over the years, they’ve also innovated on the plant itself.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Cesena, like most Italian clubs, rent their stadium and training facilities from the local authority, but Cole has innovated where he can.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Tristan und Isolde is an out-and-out masterpiece, with sweeping, yearning themes, deserving of its place in music’s pantheon, whatever it may or may not have innovated.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Currie said the company was "broadening and innovating our menu in line with changing tastes and trends".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“It is during this period that leading companies find ways to differentiate themselves by innovating, delivering new and superior solutions, and driving durable growth. This is where PayPal needs to focus.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
As someone who is perennially image-conscious, constantly innovating, and occasionally rash, it’s not surprising that an artist like Madonna would incorporate new technology into her art.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
“We are focused on innovating at the pace of demand, supporting accelerating investments in growth and capitalization on strategic opportunities while effectively managing our capital structure.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
The revolutionary and innovating instinct which showed itself in the 16th century with reference to church government and doctrine spread naturally enough to political matters.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various
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.
