invite

1 of 2

verb

in·​vite in-ˈvīt How to pronounce invite (audio)
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 How to pronounce invite (audio)

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.

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
Now, he’s often invited and paid by groups to post videos of himself dancing at their events. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 Alexander Baxter Guests cast papers into the bonfire of woes to be left behind in winter, and wishes to be invited in with spring. Sarah Wood, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2024 Getty in particular has long had a close relationship with Kensington Palace; they have often been invited to conduct shoots of royals, and have sponsored royal events. Rob Picheta, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 This year after the month- long tournament, 10 players will be invited to battle it out at the live final in Los Angeles. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Semifinal and national championship game ticket holders are invited to the tailgate on Saturday, April 6, and Monday, April 8. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 Henderson made connections with workers in both departments, sharing the block’s information and residents’ concerns, inviting them to neighborhood events and keeping an open line of communication. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 In a shelved interview with In Touch magazine from May 2011 (which the outlet later published in 2018), Daniels claimed that after meeting Trump at the American Century Championship in July 2006 at Edgewood Tahoe golf course in Nevada, Trump invited her to dinner in his hotel room. Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 While playing in another band, the leader of that group invited Starr over to a recording studio and graphic design business — owned by Brit Turner. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Masters, the first major of the season that tees off next month, offers automatic invites to any player who ranked inside the world’s top-50 in the previous calendar year or in the week prior to the tournament. Jack Bantock, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 The Academy Awards is, of course, the ne plus ultra of Hollywood tickets, a show so drenched in glitter and glamour that, famously, even the famous sometimes don’t get an invite. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 The best Olen’s team can hope for is a regular-season Big West title and perhaps an invite to the College Basketball Invitational. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Representatives from the Sacramento Medical Reserve Corps Foundation, Girls on the Run of Greater Sacramento, and California Automotive Museum last month used the suite, which requires an invite by a city official, according to a city web page. Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 The tired suburban mom in me who never does fun things in the city appreciated the invite to her birthday dinner. Carola Lovering, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024 All three got an exclusive invite to creative director Anthony Vaccarello's 2022 party, which was also attended by Andie MacDowell, Zendaya, Joe Keery and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Stacy Lambe, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 But the same cannot be said about individuals online, who never expected to receive an invite to the garden party anyway. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 The fun begins with a generous welcome bonus, and it’s quickly followed up by an invite to a referral program that gives you and your casino buddy the chance to play around with some free money. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of invite was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near invite

Cite this Entry

“Invite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invite. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

invite

1 of 2 verb
in·​vite in-ˈvīt How to pronounce invite (audio)
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 How to pronounce invite (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on invite

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