insist
Americanverb (used without object)
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insists,
present (3rd person singular)
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insisted,
past participle, past
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insisting
present participle
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to be emphatic, firm, or resolute on some matter of desire, demand, intention, etc..
He insists on checking every shipment.
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to lay emphasis in assertion.
to insist on the justice of a claim.
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to dwell with earnestness or emphasis (usually followed by on orupon ).
to insist on a point in a discussion.
verb
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to make a determined demand (for)
he insisted that his rights be respected
he insisted on his rights
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to express a convinced belief (in) or assertion (of)
he insisted that she was mad
he insisted on her madness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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insisternoun
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overinsistverb (used without object)
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reinsistverb (used without object)
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superinsistverb (used without object)
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insistinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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insistsimple
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insistssimple
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have insistedperfect
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has insistedperfect
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am insistingprogressive
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are insistingprogressive
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is insistingprogressive
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have been insistingperfect progressive
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has been insistingperfect progressive
Past
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insistedsimple
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had insistedperfect
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was insistingprogressive
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were insistingprogressive
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had been insistingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of insist
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin insistere “to stand still on, persist in,” from in- in- 2 + sistere “to cause to stand, stop” ( see also stand)
Explanation
To insist on something is to demand or swear to it. You can insist that you didn't eat the last piece of cake, and then insist that your brother show your mom the bits of frosting on his fingers. The verb insist comes from the Latin insistere, meaning “persist,” “dwell upon,” or “stand on.” To insist on something, like a room with a view, is to say that you must have it. To insist that you never met that man before in your life — even though there's a picture of the two of you together — is to claim that you're telling the truth. To insist on tapping your foot on the chair leg is annoying.
Vocabulary lists containing insist
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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List 11
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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:
But Lineage officials insist the company still has another week to complete the work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
I have two advisers who both independently insist that I remain invested in the market since inflation is the biggest threat to my portfolio, which is worth over $10 million.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Kim Jones is right to insist that Congress protect this basic principle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Some staff are asking if that could have emboldened others at the top of the organisation to speak out against him or to even insist he steps down.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Barnes and Bloor are sociologists, and it is perfectly understandable that they insist that they and their fellow sociologists ought to stick to sociological explanations.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“Underneath an artist’s preoccupations with sex, society, religion, etc.,” the narrator insists, “there is a soul tortured beyond endurance by the lack of tenderness in the world.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
And though he insists that this is not about direct financial gain for African leaders, one of the demands laid out at the recent summit on reparations clearly talked of debt relief and debt cancellation.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
But concerns about conditions on the Lincoln have prompted lawmakers to demand answers from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who insists the situation has been "misrepresented."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
He denies the allegations—including from his ex-wife, a U.S. senator’s daughter—and insists he’ll stay in the race.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
I do not want to hear your whys, Uhmma insists.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
The prime minister added all politicians face "these challenges" but insisted he did "everything right" in how he handled the security breach.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The AI insisted several times that the passage existed, and even offered a page number.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In response to questions from ProPublica, administration officials insisted the effort spearheaded by HSI was producing meaningful results.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
I ended up leaving with the Hotel Mar-a-Lago shirt, which Bill insisted I take as a souvenir of my visit, refusing my money when I pulled out my wallet.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
When reporters showed up to get the scoop, her bereaved sons insisted that Kate “died a firm believer” in the spirits.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Davis has since backtracked, insisting the claims were bluster and were created by a ghostwriter to sell books.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
The defendant was arrested at the hospital and provided a pre-prepared statement accepting that he let himself into the house but denying the offences insisting everything was consensual.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
But I respected it anyway for insisting on these jokers’ right to remain an unapologetic mess.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Turn the cover and the ghost disappears while the title remains, stubbornly insisting that this house has nobody in it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Some boys kept insisting they could see people ahead of us, but it always turned out to be tree stumps they were seeing.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
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.
