invite

1 of 2

verb

in·​vite in-ˈvīt 

invited; inviting

transitive verb

1

a

: to request the presence or participation of

invited us to dinner

b

: to request formally

c

: to urge politely : welcome

invite comments

2

a

: to increase the likelihood of

invite trouble

b

: to offer an incentive or inducement to : entice

inviter noun

invite

2 of 2

noun

in·​vite ˈin-ˌvīt 

: invitation sense 1

Did you know?

Is invite really a noun?

Yes. Some people feel strongly that the role of invite should be restricted to that of verb, but the English language changes and grows according to its own peculiar whims, and not those of people who write angry letters to dictionaries. The process whereby a word changes its part of speech is called functional shift, and there are tens of thousands of words which have done this. Some of them just bother people more than others, and invite (along with gift and friend, which have changed in the opposite direction) is one that attracts considerable opprobrium.

Synonyms of invite

Verb

• ask

Examples of invite in a Sentence

Verb

I visited their house once, but they've never invited me back.

I'm planning to invite them for the weekend.

Aren't you going to invite me in for a coffee?

The event is limited to invited guests.

Employees are invited to apply for the new position.

The college invited her to speak at the graduation ceremony.

The company invites suggestions from customers.

Noun

Did you send out the invites to the party?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

During the first few years after, her sister did invite Ens back for visits once or twice a year, just to stay in touch in some capacity. —Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

Brooklyn also alleged that his wife was not invited to his father’s 50th birthday party, and that he and his wife’s attempts to privately meet with David Beckham were rejected. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Noun

If anything, the calendar is overcrowded—regional events, niche summits, vendor roadshows, invite-only forums, virtual meetups that could have been emails. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

While the invites can give the basics of events, the website will get into the nitty-gritty of all your details. —Shelby Wax, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle French or Latin; Middle French inviter, from Latin invitare

First Known Use

Verb

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for invite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

invite

1 of 2 verb

in·​vite in-ˈvīt 

invited; inviting

1

: to make more likely

behavior that invites criticism

invite disaster by speeding

2

a

: to request the presence or participation of

b

: to request formally or politely

inviter noun

invite

2 of 2 noun

in·​vite ˈin-ˌvīt 

: invitation