Definition of INITIATED

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Verb

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable. begin, opposed to end, is the most general. begin a trip began dancing start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages. the work started slowly commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start. commence firing commenced a conversation initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue. initiated diplomatic contacts inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance. the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate. ushered in a period of economic decline

Examples of initiate in a Sentence

Verb Doctors have initiated a series of tests to determine the cause of the problem. The company initiated judicial proceedings against them. The new recruits will be initiated tomorrow night. He was initiated into a secret society. Noun These secrets are known only to a small group of initiates.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Next round, initiate the movement with your left foot to focus on the opposite side. — Adele Jackson-gibson, Good Housekeeping, "Not Sure How to Build Strength with Dumbbells? This Workout's Got You Covered," 7 Dec. 2020 Even empowering his own prosecutors to publicly initiate investigation, changing DOJ policy leading up to the election in a way that could have influenced voters' confidence in it. — NBC News, "Meet the Press - December 6, 2020," 6 Dec. 2020 Strategists have started to expand or initiate coverage of Bitcoin, sensing more demand for crypto analysis in the financial industry. — Joanna Ossinger, Bloomberg.com, "FOMO by Big Investors May Support Bitcoin’s Polarizing Rally," 6 Dec. 2020 Nearly a year after it was first proposed by telecommunications company Huawei, China reportedly is preparing to initiate an antitrust investigation into Google's Chinese operations. — Tyler Van Dyke, Washington Examiner, "China considers antitrust investigation into Google: Report," 30 Sep. 2020 Timeus had Reeves initiate the 2017 investigation into Fesser. — oregonlive, "State agency to consider whether to pull police certification of retired West Linn Police Chief Terry Timeus," 20 Aug. 2020 If that is not possible, initiate a return — many companies have expanded their return windows during the holidays — and start over. — Washington Post, "Don’t let delayed packages ruin your holidays. Here’s what to do instead.," 22 Dec. 2020 With that, the body can then initiate an immune response that fights off a potential infection later on. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Just Got FDA Authorization," 19 Dec. 2020 Shorter days of fall initiate the flowering process that makes your plant a repeat performer for the holidays. — Tom Maccubbin, orlandosentinel.com, "Bromeliads aren’t picky about soil," 19 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Early in the film, the enigmatic mind thief Cobb (played by DiCaprio) explains the sci-fi notion of building dream worlds to his latest initiate, an architect named Ariadne (Ellen Page). — David Sims, The Atlantic, "How Inception Helped Turn Christopher Nolan Into Cinema’s Savior," 4 Aug. 2020 The project mostly caters to initiates, who can test its observations against their prior knowledge of Ferrante, but the authors themselves seem attracted to the role of the amateur. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "A New Book on Elena Ferrante Rethinks What Criticism Can Be," 6 Feb. 2020 On Election Day, Colorado voters will be asked to consider a ballot initiate directing Colorado Parks and Wildlife to import wolves from the north and turn them loose by 2023. — Ben Long, Outdoor Life, "Colorado Braces for Wolves as Politics Clash with Wildlife Management," 13 Jan. 2020 The team could also self-initiate calls, show up in outreach worker’s role to connect a homeless person to services or act as a mental health worker, as dispatched through Multnomah County’s crisis line. — oregonlive, "Homeless first responder team to be housed in Portland fire bureau under new proposal," 15 Nov. 2019 When the spray was spent, the initiates formed two lines and crawled towards the dais. — Sean Williams, Harper's magazine, "The Black Axe," 19 Aug. 2019 Like other ideological movements, Randism brims with a jargon of authenticity, tailored to reinforce the sense of belonging for young initiates. — Alexander Sammon, The New Republic, "The Last of the Ayn Rand Acolytes," 14 Aug. 2019 The plan outline several initiates to help manage officers’ time and improve accountability. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Here are 5 main takeaways new crime plan from Baltimore Police commissioner Harrison’s," 18 July 2019 More mature initiates have the benefit of experience to guide them through an informed choice. — Brennan Kilbane, WSJ, "You’re Not Too Old for a Tattoo," 25 July 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective If people feel physically distant, initiate conversations that allow everyone to come together. — Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, "Daily horoscope for December 24, 2020," 24 Dec. 2020 Of the Heat’s wings, Dragic comes closest to matching the drive-and-kick game of Butler, as well as the ability to get to the rim and initiate contact. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "Winderman: 2020-21 might have to be an alternate reality for Heat | Commentary," 5 Dec. 2020 Under no conditions can the president direct the Supreme Court to take a case or have a case initiate litigation at the Supreme Court level. — Alison Medley, Chron, "Can the president block ballots from being counted? Expert weighs in," 5 Nov. 2020 The office will oversee the DWP’s internal audit and special investigations divisions, as well as initiate investigations, the mayor’s office said. — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, "DWP, reeling from scandals and FBI raids, gets a new watchdog office," 13 Sep. 2019

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