establish

verb

es·tab·lish | \ i-ˈsta-blish

established; establishing; establishes

Definition of establish

transitive verb

1 : to institute (something, such as a law) permanently by enactment or agreement

2 obsolete : settle sense 7

3a : to make firm or stable

b : to introduce and cause to grow and multiply establish grass on pasturelands

4a : to bring into existence : found established a republic

b : bring about, effect established friendly relations

5a : to put on a firm basis : set up establish his son in business

b : to put into a favorable position

c : to gain full recognition or acceptance of the role established her as a star

6 : to make (a church) a national or state institution

7 : to put beyond doubt : prove established my innocence

Other Words from establish Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about establish

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Other Words from establish

establishable \ i-ˈsta-bli-shə-bəl

\ adjective

establisher \ i-ˈsta-bli-shər

\ noun

Synonyms & Antonyms for establish

Synonyms

demonstrate, prove, show, substantiate

Antonyms

disprove

Examples of establish in a Sentence

The film established her as a star. She established a reputation as a hard worker. The word is now established as part of the English language. The company has established itself as a leader in the industry. As a young doctor he worked hard to establish himself in the community. They want to establish their children in the family business. She established a system of tracking expenses more accurately. The two countries established a mutual trade agreement. establishing a link between diet and cancer Investigators are trying to establish if anyone knew about these problems before the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

The community kitchen, based in Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in London, was established by women who survived the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people in June 2017. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Had a Secret Event at Hubb Community Kitchen—And Adele Was There Too," 21 Dec. 2018 Berlei is the same company that makes Williams's bra line, so their collaboration is well-established. — Elizabeth Logan, Allure, "Serena Williams Goes Topless to Sing "I Touch Myself" for Breast Cancer Awareness," 1 Oct. 2018 The classic children’s novel by Richard Adams, about a band of rabbits trying to establish a safe home in the English countryside, is a little too subtle and complex for (young) children. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "Netflix’s Watership Down Is Not (Really) for Kids—And That’s a Good Thing," 22 Dec. 2018 Deborah then went on to establish the Door as the smarter, sharper option, frequented by starlets such as Elizabeth Taylor and Zsa Zsa Gabor, who preferred monogrammed stationery and breakfast in bed to communal living. — Daisy Finer, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Golden Door Is the World's Most Iconic Spa," 21 Dec. 2018 Before the collaboration, Ouai and Summer Fridays worked to individually establish their brands and product offerings. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "You Can Now Mask Your Entire Head for $22," 18 Dec. 2018 With the time and freedom to establish personal relationships, and the ability to quickly test ideas for validation and further discovery, Invanti embodied a more grassroots and inexpensive version of the learn-quick-and-iterate model of innovation. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "How a Midwest startup generator bursts the Bay Area tech bubble and solves real problems," 12 Dec. 2018 In my experience, OpenVPN and IPSec tunnels generally require somewhere between eight seconds and 30+ seconds to establish a tunnel, during which time the user must twiddle his or her thumbs and stare uncertainly at a very techy-looking dialog. — Jim Salter, Ars Technica, "Testing WireGuard with an early-adopter VPN service," 11 Dec. 2018 Google did promise to establish a process to allow that. — Shirin Ghaffary, Recode, "Google has responded to its employees’ demands about sexual misconduct. Here are the changes it will and won’t make.," 8 Nov. 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near establish

Statistics for establish

Last Updated

16 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for establish

The first known use of establish was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for establish

establish

verb

English Language Learners Definition of establish

: to cause (someone or something) to be widely known and accepted

: to put (someone or something) in a position, role, etc., that will last for a long time

: to begin or create (something that is meant to last for a long time)

See the full definition for establish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

establish

verb

es·tab·lish | \ i-ˈsta-blish

established; establishing

Kids Definition of establish

1 : to bring into being : found They established a colony.

2 : to put beyond doubt : prove She established her innocence.

establish

transitive verb

es·tab·lish

Legal Definition of establish

1 : to institute (as a law) permanently by enactment or agreement we the people of the United States…do ordain and establish this Constitution — U.S. Constitution preamble

2 : to make firm or stable

3 : to bring into existence : found Congress shall have power…to establish post offices and post roads — U.S. Constitution art. I specifically : to found (a national bank) pursuant to a charter

4 : to make (a church) a national or state institution — see also establishment, establishment clause

5 : to put beyond doubt : prove

6 : to place in a position of being accepted or followed a rule established by case law