initiation rite
noun
plural initiation rites
: an act or ritual that a person must perform in order to be officially recognized as having joined a group or organization or as having achieved a new status (such as adulthood)
It's an initiation rite performed whenever a ship crosses the equator; sailors who have not yet crossed that line … undergo a hazing ritual conducted by those who have … .—
Jamie Malanowski
Jamie MalanowskiThe plumes of some of the birds are of great value to New Guineans. The most prominent plumes are worn in traditional headdresses during "sing-sings"—festivals related to feast days, initiations rites or marriage ceremonies.—Bruce Beehler
Bruce BeehlerIn a booze-sodden initiation rite, his Phi Kappa Psi brothers allegedly forced him to down more than half a bottle of rum …—Colleen O'Connor et al.
compare rite of passage
Colleen O'Connor et al.Examples of initiation rite in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nynaeve’s trip into a heart-wrenching alternate reality via the magical Arches used as an initiation rite by the Aes Sedai; Egwene’s breaking by and escape from the Seanchan; Rand’s romance with Lanfear and bromance with Ishamael, two suave and seductive villains.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Why one teen broke with the brotherhood - After initiation rites – including circumcision – the boys leave their families to take charge of the herds, driving them high into the mountains.
—Marc Silver, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
Franklin famously avoided air conditioning while touring, seeking to protect her voice, and Smith’s sweaty reaction was like an initiation rite.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
About 83% of Sierra Leonean women aged 15 and over have undergone FGM, according to Unicef estimates from 2023, typically during an initiation rite into the all-women Bondo Society, which prepares girls for adulthood.
—Harriet Marsden, theweek, 13 Feb. 2024
Locker Room Culture Locker rooms have long been the setting for initiation rites that can cross a line into hazing.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 28 July 2023
The process is anxiety provoking and enthralling—a medical school initiation rite with almost religious overtones.
—National Geographic, 13 Jan. 2023
These more coherent processes involve initiation rites, manifestos, leaders, and a chain of command that guide beliefs and actions.
—Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2022
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Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Why one teen broke with the brotherhood - After initiation rites – including circumcision – the boys leave their families to take charge of the herds, driving them high into the mountains.
—Marc Silver, NPR, 27 Dec. 2024
Franklin famously avoided air conditioning while touring, seeking to protect her voice, and Smith’s sweaty reaction was like an initiation rite.
—Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
About 83% of Sierra Leonean women aged 15 and over have undergone FGM, according to Unicef estimates from 2023, typically during an initiation rite into the all-women Bondo Society, which prepares girls for adulthood.
—Harriet Marsden, theweek, 13 Feb. 2024
Locker Room Culture Locker rooms have long been the setting for initiation rites that can cross a line into hazing.
—Billy Witz, New York Times, 28 July 2023
The process is anxiety provoking and enthralling—a medical school initiation rite with almost religious overtones.
—National Geographic, 13 Jan. 2023
These more coherent processes involve initiation rites, manifestos, leaders, and a chain of command that guide beliefs and actions.
—Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 3 Jan. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Initiation rite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initiation%20rite. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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