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

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?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Legendary invited Minecraft influencers to the set, gave them shout-outs in the movie, and invited 30 of them to the London world premiere. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2025 As previously reported, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz last month invited The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat in which top Trump administration officials discussed a plan for bombing Houthi targets in Yemen. ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
However, a third prospect also accepted their invite, which surprised many across the NFL landscape—Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025 President Donald Trump extended the invite, and the team will go to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for invite

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Invite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invite. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

invite

1 of 2 verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on invite

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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