establish
Americanverb (used with object)
-
establishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
established,
past participle, past
-
establishing
present participle
-
to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis.
to establish a university; to establish a medical practice.
- Antonyms:
- abolish
-
to install or settle in a position, place, business, etc..
to establish one's child in business.
-
to show to be valid or true; prove.
to establish the facts of the matter.
- Synonyms:
- substantiate, verify
- Antonyms:
- disprove
-
to cause to be accepted or recognized.
to establish a custom; She established herself as a leading surgeon.
-
to bring about permanently.
to establish order.
-
to enact, appoint, or ordain for permanence, as a law; fix unalterably.
- Synonyms:
- decree
-
to make (a church) a national or state institution.
-
Cards. to obtain control of (a suit) so that one can win all the subsequent tricks in it.
verb
-
to make secure or permanent in a certain place, condition, job, etc
to establish one's usefulness
to establish a house
-
to create or set up (an organization, etc) on or as if on a permanent basis
to establish a company
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to prove correct or free from doubt; validate
to establish a fact
-
to cause (a principle, theory, etc) to be widely or permanently accepted
to establish a precedent
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to give (a Church) the status of a national institution
-
(of a person) to become recognized and accepted
he established himself as a reliable GP
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(in works of imagination) to cause (a character, place, etc) to be credible and recognized
the first scene established the period
-
cards to make winners of (the remaining cards of a suit) by forcing out opponents' top cards
-
(also intr) botany
-
to cause (a plant) to grow or (of a plant) to grow in a new place
the birch scrub has established over the past 25 years
-
to become or cause to become a sapling or adult plant from a seedling
-
Synonym Usage
See fix.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
establishernoun
-
reestablishverb (used with object)
-
superestablishverb (used with object)
-
establishableadjective
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unestablishableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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establishsimple
-
establishessimple
-
have establishedperfect
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has establishedperfect
-
am establishingprogressive
-
are establishingprogressive
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is establishingprogressive
-
have been establishingperfect progressive
-
has been establishingperfect progressive
Past
-
establishedsimple
-
had establishedperfect
-
was establishingprogressive
-
were establishingprogressive
-
had been establishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of establish
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English establissen, establishen, from Middle French establiss-, extended stem of establir, from Latin stabilīre, derivative of stabilis stable 2
Explanation
To establish something means to begin it or bring it about. If you want everyone in your family to bring you chocolate every evening, you can establish a “Chocolates for Me” policy requiring it. Establish is related to stable through its Latin roots and has many meanings, but all have the feel of building on a stable foundation. Besides the meaning of setting a policy, establish can also mean to prove one's value. You should establish yourself in a community before you try to bring change to it. Similarly, if you like to debate controversial issues, you'd best begin with facts that have been established and are not open to question. If you have a lot of money and want to build up your community, you can establish, or found, a school or library there.
Vocabulary lists containing establish
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (1787)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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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:
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged a full investigation "to establish every last detail of this tragedy and strengthen safety measures to ensure it never happens again".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
"The game's opening cinematic utilises some real world news coverage to establish the game's fictional narrative."
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
The U.S. and Japan agreed on Wednesday to establish a facility in Japan for the final assembly and inspection of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, Amraam, a key armament for F-35 jet fighters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Disagreements between the contractor and the airport over who would sign the agreement with DWP to establish solar power have surfaced in a lawsuit and monthly progress reports about the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
We normally distinguish between inventions and discoveries, but the distinction was slow to establish itself and is even now clearer in our use of ‘invention’ than of ‘discovery’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The study establishes an important proof of principle, but additional research is necessary to determine whether these antibody patterns can reliably predict disease in broader populations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Trading cards and other collectibles are verified and assigned condition grades by PSA, which establishes their value and protects them by assigning serial numbers and certification information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The analogy establishes a telling connection between “The Brightness” and its predecessor, Mr. Harbach’s wonderful 2011 debut, “The Art of Fielding.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Neither figure establishes the savings on Microsoft’s total bill.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
When the experimental method is successful in explaining what was previously inexplicable, it thus not only establishes particular scientific theories, it also confirms the validity of the general approach which underpins experimentation.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Rivals BMW BMW 0.73%increase; green up pointing triangle and Mercedes-Benz established a manufacturing foothold in the U.S. years ago, leaving them generally less exposed to tariff costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The discovery also reflects the broader goals of UVA's newly established Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
He had wanted to meet McGee long before they encountered each other in a San Francisco thrift store last year, and he admires his support for less established artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
There’s established law there, and trial courts have, on the whole, held, and when they haven’t, they’ve been admonished or overturned on appeal.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
We quickly established the rules of the contest.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Beyond establishing the ice's age, researchers hope that a more precise timeline will help answer fundamental questions about the history of Earth's glaciers.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
For one thing, new employees need to build relationships in their new workplace, establishing the kind of trust and understanding that is necessary for effective collaboration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
"The US military is establishing a capability there," Marchan said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
As part of Wednesday's Budget, the government will commit £100m to establishing the new, "world first" institute with the support of leading AI firms.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
The Amsterdam News reported the planned meeting and many readers inferred that we were establishing our beginning mosque in the Theresa.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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