inauguration

noun

in·​au·​gu·​ra·​tion i-ˌnȯ-gyə-ˈrā-shən 

-gə-

: an act of inaugurating

especially : a ceremonial induction into office

Synonyms of inauguration

• inaugural

Examples of inauguration in a Sentence

the pomp and circumstance of a presidential inauguration

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump commented on the ballroom plans during his recent interview with The New York Times, insisting that the main point of the changes was so there could be a secure site in the residence to hold an inauguration. —Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026

Poet Amanda Gorman, who in 2021 became the youngest person to deliver a poem at a presidential inauguration when Joe Biden was sworn in, has written a poem for the woman who shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis yesterday. —Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026

By moving her inauguration out of the state capital of Trenton, the Garden State’s 57th governor — only the second woman in state history to be elected to the role — is bucking a 235-year-old tradition, local news site The Globe reports. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026

Mayor Andre Dickens pointed to those trends during his inauguration speech, crediting a focus on public safety and prevention. —Christopher Harris, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inauguration

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

inauguration

noun

in·​au·​gu·​ra·​tion in-ˌȯ-g(y)ə-ˈrā-shən 

: an act or ceremony of inaugurating