Word
initiate
Meanings
To cause something to begin; to start a process, plan, or action.
To introduce someone to an organization, activity, or group through a first experience or formal entry.
Definition
To initiate something is to cause it to begin, especially a process, plan, or discussion.
To initiate means to start something deliberately and often formally, such as a project, procedure, or conversation. It is commonly used in professional and academic contexts to describe the first step of a planned action. It can also mean to introduce someone to a group or activity through a first experience or ceremony.
Examples
- The committee decided to initiate a comprehensive review of the hiring process after the audit.
- I plan to initiate a discussion about workload distribution at our next team meeting.
- She was asked to initiate contact with the partner organization to clarify the timeline.
- They moved quickly to initiate the emergency protocol when the alarms began sounding.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse initiate with continue, but initiate only means to start something, not to keep it going.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.