communicate

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

|Updated on: 11 Aug 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

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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

Another person who interacted with Guccifer 2.0 was someone who had contact with the Trump administration: The Conspirators, posing as Guccifer 2.0, also communicated with US.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "New indictments complicate the Trump-Russia relationship.," 13 July 2018
Ivey’s office communicated her demand to the state comptroller’s office on Wednesday, July 11, according to AL.com.

— kaylen ralph, Teen Vogue, "Alabama Sheriffs Might Not Be Able to Pocket Leftover Prisoner Food Funding Anymore," 12 July 2018
During the Stoneman Douglas and Fort Lauderdale airport shootings some law enforcement officers couldn’t communicate with each other or hear from dispatchers.

— david fleshler, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Stoneman Douglas commission reviews police radio problems," 11 July 2018
Those designations communicate knowledge of wine and spirits to employers.

— valeriya safronova, New York Times, "The Proof Is in Their Palates," 10 July 2018
Blue Jays pitcher Seung-hwan Oh is from South Korea and needs an interpreter to communicate with his teammates and coaches.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "Blue Jays coach throws gloves in post-ejection tirade over umpires stopping a translator," 8 July 2018
Sometimes because of embarrassment or fear neighbors won’t communicate at all or until the bugs get out of hand.

— julia terruso, Philly.com, "Why Philly is a particularly bad place to get bedbugs," 5 July 2018
Being a homogenous or safe candidate, visually, really communicates something to the public.

— diana budds, Vox, "The brilliance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s bold campaign design," 2 July 2018
Though the kids are allowed communicate with their parents by phone, according to Baez, there aren't enough phones available to accommodate all the calls, and sometimes families don't know how to reach each other.

— CBS News, "Ex-employee sheds light on life inside facilities for immigrant children separated from parents," 29 June 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