4 meanings
(click/touch triangles for details)
1 —as in:
initiate discussions
Definition
to cause (something) to begin- The study concluded that women initiate divorce more frequently than men.
initiate = begin the process of
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- We are encouraging local authorities to initiate long-term emergency planning.
- The A.G. will most likely initiate an investigation.Louis Sachar -- Holes
- I want him to fold me into his arms again, like he did after the last attack, but he doesn't, and I know better than to initiate it.Veronica Roth -- Insurgent
- On my weekly visits to Dr. Robertson, I never felt forced to talk about anything, but soon found myself initiating the conversation about my past.Dave Pelzer -- The Lost Boy
- Believe me, he is a walking time bomb ... capable of initiating a series of events that will profoundly change the world as you know it.Dan Brown -- The Lost Symbol
- Is he simply working the Lover Boy angle he initiated at the interview?Suzanne Collins -- The Hunger Games
- For some reason, the gentle touch of his father's hand felt like it was burning through him like a potent catalyst that was initiating a chemical reaction inside Mal'akh's body.Dan Brown -- The Lost Symbol
- This time, I needed to be the initiator.Kiera Cass -- The Selection
- You also need an initiator, tampers and pushers, and ideally a neutron reflector to push neutrons back in the pit.David Baldacci -- Zero Day
initiate = start
initiate = start
initiate = begin
initiating = starting
initiating = starting
initiated = started
2 —as in:
initiate into the art of drumming
Definition
introduce to an activity or area of knowledge- That weekend, she was initiated into the art of fly fishing.
initiated = introduced (did it for the first time)
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- The author uses the character to initiate his readers to life and norms within an American high-security prison.
- For by now, in addition to the workers whom we wanted to initiate into the system [of quickly hiding from the Gestapo], we had three more permanent boarders:Corrie ten Boom -- The Hiding Place
- Peter initiated me into this long ago.Dan Brown -- The Lost Symbol
initiate = introduce
initiate = introduce to an activity or area of knowledge
initiated = introduced (to an area of knowledge)
3 —as in:
initiate into the fraternity
Definition
to accept someone's membership into an organization — typically in a ceremony — sometimes including a period of instruction and/or test- The photo is from the ceremony when she was initiated into the sorority.
initiated = accepted into the group in a special ceremony
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- My mother couldn't attend my Honor Society initiation ceremony.
- Masonic initiation rites had remained shrouded in secrecy for centuries.Dan Brown -- The Lost Symbol
- ...and we will become members if we complete initiation.Veronica Roth -- Divergent
- Well, that was until he called and said all the pledges in the fraternity had to sleep at the frat house for some crazy initiation thing.Simone Elkeles -- Perfect Chemistry
- They signed up as "trainees" on the spot. We began to meet every night to initiate them.John Knowles -- A Separate Peace
- The initiation was to test a guy's courage.Victor Martinez -- Parrot in the Oven
- She's going to have the female initiation ceremony too, she said.Alice Walker -- The Color Purple
- The boys and I forgive your weakness, but you still have to be initiated into our group.Dave Pelzer -- The Lost Boy
- I think this is the initiation for new cast members.Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
initiation = the process of accepting someone's membership into a group (via a special ceremony)
initiation = the process of formally accepting someone as a member of a group
initiation = the process of being accepted into an organization
initiation = ceremony to accept someone's membership into an organization
initiate = a period of instruction and/or testing required to accept someone's membership into an organization
initiation = the process of accepting someone as a member of a group—perhaps including a period of instruction, a test, and/or a ceremony
initiation = a procedure or ceremony where someone is admitted into a group
initiated = accepted as a member through special procedures
initiation = ceremony (to accept new members)
4 —as in:
She is a new initiate.
Definition
someone who has formally started in an organization, or been introduced to or attained some expertise in a particular field- Initiates will be formally accepted and presented at the ceremony on Friday.
initiates = new members
Other Uses (with this meaning)
- Please fill out the new initiate information form.
- I feel like I am an initiate again, storming the stairs of the Hub right after the Choosing Ceremony.Veronica Roth -- Insurgent
- The thirty-four-year-old initiate gazed down at the human skull cradled in his palms.Dan Brown -- The Lost Symbol
- We are not called members yet; our decisions today will make us initiates,Veronica Roth -- Divergent
- As he unfolded it, he realized he was holding a Masonic hoodwink—the traditional blindfold of a first-degree initiate.Dan Brown -- The Lost Symbol
- There was a bit of a division between initiates.Veronica Roth -- Insurgent
- Yes, there was a Caleb in my initiate class.Veronica Roth -- Insurgent
- Once I'm armed, I follow Will and the other initiates toward the exit.Veronica Roth -- Divergent
- The line of initiates passes into a dark hallway.Veronica Roth -- Divergent
initiate = someone who has formally started in an organization
initiate = someone who has formally started procedures to become a member or a group such as training, testing, and a ceremony
initiate = a new member or an organization
initiates = people going through a process that leads to formal acceptance into a group