institute

1 a group of persons formally joined together for some common interest founded an institute to combat the cruel treatment of animals Synonyms board, brotherhood, chamber, club, college, congress, consortium, council, fellowship, fraternity, guild (also gild), association, institution, league, order, organization, society, sodalityRelated Words collective, commune, community, cooperative; alliance, bloc, camp, coalition, partnership; body, cadre, group; circle, clan, clique, coterie, junta, junto, klatch (also klatsch), lot, set; crew, outfit, party, squad, team; branch, chapter, local; faithful, fold, membership; sisterhood, sorority; cabal, camarilla, camorra, confederacy, conspiracy; band, gang, ring; cartel, combine, syndicate

2 a public organization with a particular purpose or function a scientific institute researching a cure for cancer Synonyms establishment, foundation, institutionRelated Words body, collective, group; corporation, enterprise; charity, philanthropy; think tank

to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is generally credited with instituting the women's-rights movement in 1848 Synonyms begin, constitute, establish, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, found, introduce, launch, pioneer, plant, set up, startRelated Words author, father, originate; conceive, concoct, contrive, cook (up), create, devise, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, produce, think (up); construct, put up; develop, enlarge, expand; endow, finance, fund, subsidize; arrange, organize, systematize, systemize; refound, reinitiate, reinstitute, relaunchNear Antonyms abolish, annihilate, annul, nullify; end, finish, halt, stop, terminate; round (off or out), wind up, wrap upAntonyms close (down), phase out, shut (up)