induction

noun

in·duc·tion | \ in-ˈdək-shən

Definition of induction

1a : the act or process of inducting (as into office)

b : an initial experience : initiation

c : the formality by which a civilian is inducted into military service

2a(1) : inference of a generalized conclusion from particular instances — compare deduction sense 2a

(2) : a conclusion arrived at by induction

b : mathematical demonstration of the validity of a law concerning all the positive integers by proving that it holds for the integer 1 and that if it holds for an arbitrarily chosen positive integer k, it must hold for the integer k + 1

— called also mathematical induction

3 : a preface, prologue, or introductory scene especially of an early English play

4a : the act of bringing forward or adducing something (such as facts or particulars)

b : the act of causing or bringing on or about

c : the process by which an electrical conductor becomes electrified when near a charged body, by which a magnetizable body becomes magnetized when in a magnetic field or in the magnetic flux set up by a magnetomotive force, or by which an electromotive force is produced in a circuit by varying the magnetic field linked with the circuit

d : the inspiration of the fuel-air charge from the carburetor into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine

e : the process by which the fate of embryonic cells is determined (as by the action of adjacent cells) and morphogenetic differentiation brought about

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Examples of induction in a Sentence

Many people attended the bishop's induction. The induction ceremony was held at a banquet hall. the registration and induction of draftees

Recent Examples on the Web

The pot heats the food using magnetic induction, then tips to dunk the cooked meal into a bowl. — Matt O'brien, The Christian Science Monitor, "Will restaurant robots change the industry or sizzle out?," 4 May 2018 Last month, the estranged couple — who have two adult sons together, Jonathan and Oliver — showed a united front at Ocasek’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in Cleveland, Ohio. — Mariah Haas, PEOPLE.com, "The Cars' Ric Ocasek and Wife Paulina Porizkova Announce Split After 28 Years of Marriage," 3 May 2018 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: In Concert Never scored a red-hot ticket to the Rock Hall's annual inductions? — Chris Ball, cleveland.com, "'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: In Concert,' now on DVD and Blu-ray (review)," 2 May 2018 The six songwriters, who are only eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least two decades, will be formally inducted on June 13 in a ceremony held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Missy Elliott Makes History as the First Female Rapper in the Songwriters Hall of Fame," 12 Jan. 2019 His best hire might have been coach Joe Gibbs, who presented Beathard for induction. — Barry Wilner, Fox News, "Ray Lewis urges togetherness, love in Hall of Fame speech," 5 Aug. 2018 Only 29 percent of today’s youth even have the cognitive, physical and legal requirements to be considered for induction, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. — Jay Mathews, Washington Post, "Why we should celebrate high school grads signing up to defend us," 17 June 2018 Members of the hall's selection committee met Tuesday to select 20 candidates for the primary ballot and 12 candidates for the veterans ballot to be considered for induction next year into the Texas sports hall in Waco. — David Barron, Houston Chronicle, "Andre Johnson, Kevin Durant highlight ballot for Texas Sports Hall of Fame," 6 June 2018 Marques Johnson, Ron Wolf and Herbert V. Kohler Jr., three men who helped shape the sports landscape in Wisconsin in vastly different ways, have been selected for induction into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. — Gary D'amato, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "For helping shape the state sports landscape, Marques Johnson, Herbert V. Kohler Jr., Ron Wolf will be honored," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'induction.' 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 induction

induction accelerator

induction coil

induction compass

Statistics for induction

Last Updated

15 Feb 2019

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Time Traveler for induction

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

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More Definitions for induction

induction

noun

English Language Learners Definition of induction

: the formal act or process of placing someone into a new job, position, government office, etc.

US : the formal act of making someone a member of the military

medical : the act of giving a pregnant woman special drugs so that she will give birth

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

induction

noun

in·duc·tion | \ in-ˈdək-shən

Kids Definition of induction

1 : the act or process of placing someone in a new job or position induction into the Hall of Fame

2 : the production of an electrical or magnetic effect through the influence of a nearby magnet, electrical current, or electrically charged body

induction

noun

in·duc·tion | \ in-ˈdək-shən

Medical Definition of induction

1 : the act of causing or bringing on or about induction of labor specifically : the establishment of the initial state of anesthesia often with an agent other than that used subsequently to maintain the anesthetic state

2 : the process by which an electrical conductor becomes electrified when near a charged body, by which a magnetizable body becomes magnetized when in a magnetic field or in the magnetic flux set up by a magnetomotive force, or by which an electromotive force is produced in a circuit by varying the magnetic field linked with the circuit

3a : arousal of a part or area (as of the retina) by stimulation of an adjacent part or area

b : the process by which the fate of embryonic cells is determined (as by the action of adjacent cells) and morphogenetic differentiation brought about