invitation

noun in·vi·ta·tion \ ˌin-və-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of invitation

1 a : the act of inviting

b : an often formal request to be present or participate

2 : incentive, inducement

See invitation defined for English-language learners

See invitation defined for kids

Examples of invitation in a Sentence

We sent out more than 100 invitations for the party.

Recent Examples of invitation from the Web

Several years after splitting up with his wife, Will (Marshall-Green) is surprised to get an invitation to one of her dinner parties, alongside many of their once-close friends.

— scott meslow, GQ, "The Scariest Movies on Netflix," 12 Oct. 2017
As VP of the country, and as Indiana’s former governor, Pence has a standing invitation to come to a Colts game and watch it from a suite.

— gregg doyel, The Courier-Journal, "Doyel: Vice President Mike Pence uses Colts for political purposes," 8 Oct. 2017
One of the most popular festival days in the country, the occasion is meant to banish the cold chill of winter in exchange for the sweeter invitation of spring.

— National Geographic, "Inside an Ancient Pagan Ritual That Makes Men Become Monsters," 6 Oct. 2017
Ditto Aaron Rodgers’s invitation to Green Bay fans on Thursday night to link arms in the stands.

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "Trump Bullies the NFL Because It’s Easy," 29 Sep. 2017
Then on, August 9, Pruitt took North Dakota’s state aircraft, at the governor’s invitation, to an event in Grand Forks that involved touring the University of North Dakota’s Environmental Research Center.

— margaret hartmann, Daily Intelligencer, "Like Tom Price, Scott Pruitt Spent More Than $58K on Noncommercial Flights," 28 Sep. 2017
While developers do have to deal with complications surrounding friends lists, invitations, and voice chat when tying the two networks together, no intractable compatibility issues prevent the servers from talking to each other.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Fortnite devs inadvertently prove cross-console play is possible [Updated]," 18 Sep. 2017
The wedding invitation must have made mention of friendship, because in a letter, Debbie's mom, Susan, wrote us after hearing the news.

— dermot cole, Alaska Dispatch News, "Alaska bride arrived in a canoe 37 years ago," 4 Aug. 2017
Virgo Keep your schedule open as your phone and email will overflow with Full Moon invitations, contracts and information that all needs a bit of TLC.

— rebecca gordon, Harper's BAZAAR, "What This Week's Full Moon in Scorpio Means For You," 19 Apr. 2016

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

First Known Use of invitation

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

INVITATION Defined for English Language Learners

invitation

noun

Definition of invitation for English Language Learners

: a written or spoken request for someone to go somewhere or to do something
: the act of inviting someone
: something that encourages someone to do something or that makes something more likely to happen

INVITATION Defined for Kids

invitation

noun in·vi·ta·tion \ ˌin-və-ˈtā-shən \

Definition of invitation for Students

1 : a written or spoken request for someone to go somewhere or do something

2 : the act of inviting

Learn More about invitation

See words that rhyme with invitation Spanish Central: Translation of invitation Nglish: Translation of invitation for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of invitation for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up invitation? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

invitation

Definition of invitation

Examples of invitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of invitation from the Web

First Known Use of invitation

INVITATION Defined for English Language Learners

invitation

Definition of invitation for English Language Learners

INVITATION Defined for Kids

invitation

Definition of invitation for Students

Learn More about invitation

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

mollycoddle

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

‘Sleight’ or ‘Slight’ of Hand?

'Complement' vs. 'Compliment'

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Words of the Year: 1066

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

More Confusing Words—Quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

SCRABBLE® Sprint

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

Trending: 'Venom' Trailer Drives Searches for 'Symbiote'

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

invitation

Definition of invitation

Examples of invitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples of invitation from the Web

First Known Use of invitation

Phrases Related to INVITATION

Related Phrases

INVITATION Defined for English Language Learners

invitation

Definition of invitation for English Language Learners

INVITATION Defined for Kids

invitation

Definition of invitation for Students

Learn More about invitation

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

Trending: 'Venom' Trailer Drives Searches for 'Symbiote'

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes