communicate

verb com·mu·ni·cate \ kə-ˈmyü-nə-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: communicate in a Sentence

Definition of communicate

communicated; communicating

transitive verb

1 archaic : share

2 a : to convey knowledge of or information about : make known

communicate a story

She communicated her ideas to the group.

b : to reveal by clear signs

His fear communicated itself to his friends.

He communicated his dissatisfaction to the staff.

3 : to cause to pass from one to another

Some diseases are easily communicated.

intransitive verb

1 : to receive Communion

Some Christians communicate in both elements, bread and wine.

2 : to transmit information, thought, or feeling so that it is satisfactorily received or understood

two sides failing to communicate with each other

The computer communicates with peripheral equipment.

3 : to open into each other : connect

The rooms communicate.

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communicatee

play \kə-ˌmyü-ni-kə-ˈtē\ noun

—

communicator

noun

See communicate defined for English-language learners

See communicate defined for kids

Examples of communicate in a Sentence

He was asked to communicate the news to the rest of the people.
She communicated her ideas to the group.
The two computers are able to communicate directly with one another.
The pilot communicated with the airport just before the crash.
The couple has trouble communicating.
the challenge of getting the two groups to communicate with each other
We communicate a lot of information through body language.
He communicated his dissatisfaction to the staff.
If you're excited about the product, your enthusiasm will communicate itself to customers.
The disease is communicated through saliva.

Recent Examples of communicate from the Web

The researchers hypothesize that these kinds of calls could be used by groups of killer whales to communicate during hunting—a clear sign for any potential prey in the area to take action.

— matt warren, Science | AAAS, "This is the sound a dolphin might hear if it’s about to become dinner," 12 June 2018
The town council ultimately approved the project, but town officials agreed to work to improve methods of communicating with the public.

— steven goode, Courant Community, "Residents Speak Out Against Trucking Facility," 12 June 2018
Pant-hoots are loud and enable chimpanzees to communicate over long distances through the forest.

— michael wilson, Smithsonian, "What Can Chimpanzee Calls Tell Us About the Origins of Human Language?," 10 May 2018
To send a satellite to orbit, a company needs a license from the Federal Communications Commission, which dictates the radio frequencies companies can use to communicate with their spacecraft.

— loren grush, The Verge, "House bill would regulate bold commercial space missions — but not very closely," 24 Apr. 2018
This became a kind of cultural commons that people could draw on to understand communicating through a technology.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "No One Picks Up the Phone Anymore," 31 May 2018
An investigation by Superintendent Nancy Sarra’s staff concluded that Ortiz handled the incident correctly, but should have done better communicating with parents and the staff.

— don stacom, Courant Community, "Report: New Britain Fourth-Grader Threatened To Kill Classmates, Teacher," 31 May 2018
Papua New Guineans agree that Facebook is an important resource for communicating and facilitating business—and are bewildered at the idea of their government blocking the site.

— louise matsakis, WIRED, "Papua New Guinea Wants to Ban Facebook. It Shouldn't," 30 May 2018
According to Mic, Kardashian West then approached her lawyer to help deal with the case and has communicated directly with Johnson.

— german lopez, Vox, "The Trump–Kim Kardashian meeting, explained," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'communicate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of communicate

Latin communicatus, past participle of communicare to impart, participate, from communis common — more at mean

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1529

in the meaning defined at sense 2a

See Words from the same year

communicate Synonyms

COMMUNICATE Defined for English Language Learners

communicate

verb

Definition of communicate for English Language Learners

: to give information about (something) to someone by speaking, writing, moving your hands, etc.
: to get someone to understand your thoughts or feelings
medical : to pass (a disease) from one person or animal to another