How to Use initiate in a Sentence

initiate

1 of 3 verb
  • Doctors have initiated a series of tests to determine the cause of the problem.
  • The new recruits will be initiated tomorrow night.
  • He was initiated into a secret society.
  • The company initiated judicial proceedings against them.
  • From here, click the Video icon to initiate a call with the group.
    Anabel Pasarow, refinery29.com, 20 Mar. 2020
  • Make sure not to tap the blue phone icon on the right as this will initiate a call.
    Yoni Heisler, BGR, 7 Apr. 2022
  • This was the second time the town has initiated tax sales; the first was in 2014.
    Ken Byron, Courant Community, 18 Dec. 2017
  • Be sure to initiate from the hips with this forward fold.
    Perri O. Blumberg, Men's Health, 17 Oct. 2022
  • At this is the time of the year, growth has slowed and the plants should soon initiate the flowering process.
    Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 19 Sep. 2020
  • The deputy was able to slow down enough to let Reineke pass him in the left lane and then initiate a traffic stop.
    Amy Lavalley, Post-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2017
  • Flat boards work well to initiate turns quickly and improve the overall feel of the board.
    Nathan Borchelt, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Black said the women have access to phones, video calls and tablets, and that the inmates have to initiate the call.
    oregonlive, 12 Sep. 2020
  • The complaint said the deputy spotted a white van in the park and initiated a traffic stop.
    Kevin Cederstrom / Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2017
  • To get started, open up the FaceTime app and initiate a call.
    Yoni Heisler, BGR, 23 May 2022
  • To initiate feeding, the first pump opens to lower the pressure and draw the blood up into the proboscis.
    Popular Science, 20 Oct. 2020
  • Unique to the state, the onus is on the renter to initiate a court challenge, which can pause the process, but many residents do not know that.
    New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021
  • The company then told him to go to his bank to initiate the return of the money.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 June 2022
  • That is a great time to launch plans and initiate new projects since the chance of success is magnified.
    Magi Helena, oregonlive, 13 July 2020
  • To initiate the process, simply go to music.youtube.com/transfer.
    Popular Science, 13 May 2020
  • The sale is part of a sell-down plan initiated on Aug. 16, and will be completed by Nov. 21.
    Lionel Lim, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023
  • Point your skis down the slope, then initiate a slide slip to one direction.
    Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 22 Feb. 2022
  • End of carousel · My advice as a seasoned mom is to initiate!
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 7 Dec. 2023
  • The Catholic Church may raise the late nun's title to that of a saint, but an area bishop said that process has not been initiated yet.
    Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 30 May 2023
  • The driver refused to pull over when deputies tried to initiate a traffic stop.
    Fox News, 28 July 2021
  • The city will initiate a public input and engagement process about the project in the coming weeks.
    Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 July 2021
  • Hadid made the first move, so will Cameron initiate the convo?
    Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, 24 July 2019
  • Platelets are the blood cells that initiate clot formation.
    New York Times, 14 Oct. 2021
  • Washboard spreads across the road as other cars repeat the action of the car that initiated it.
    Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 24 June 2023
  • The body temperature needs to drop to initiate good sleep.
    Shahab Haghayegh, Quartzy, 14 Aug. 2019
  • An on-site sales gallery to initiate a pre-sales program will open later this fall.
    Pat Setter, sandiegouniontribune.com, 4 Nov. 2017
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initiate

2 of 3 noun
  • These secrets are known only to a small group of initiates.
  • When the spray was spent, the initiates formed two lines and crawled towards the dais.
    Sean Williams, Harper's magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
  • Look up the email address or phone number on the official site and initiate contact yourself.
    Nerd Wallet, oregonlive, 16 Mar. 2021
  • And there are questions about the effectiveness of such programs, and in some instances, concern that some initiates — and penalties — have gone too far.
    Laura Petrecca, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2017
  • The process of initiation itself is a symbolic death and rebirth, as though the initiate becomes a new person.
    Robert Launay, The Conversation, 12 July 2022
  • Democrats say 3,200 incoming freshmen will be eligible for the initiate in the next fiscal year.
    Sandra Gomez-Aceves, courant.com, 21 Apr. 2018
  • More mature initiates have the benefit of experience to guide them through an informed choice.
    Brennan Kilbane, WSJ, 25 July 2018
  • The subject of the investigation is not a member of this fraternity and was never an initiate of this Chapter.
    Amanda Musa, CNN, 2 Feb. 2022
  • The project mostly caters to initiates, who can test its observations against their prior knowledge of Ferrante, but the authors themselves seem attracted to the role of the amateur.
    Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2020
  • Like many initiates, Drotar, a landscaper and father of two who drives a pickup truck, spends a lot of time explaining the organization’s strange name.
    Jonathan M. Pitts, baltimoresun.com, 25 Apr. 2018
  • The initiate’s running or racing abilities represent strength and fortitude, with the length of her run believed to predict the quality and longevity of her life.
    Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2021
  • Scambos said this crusty layer will also be a barrier that prevents the downward draining of melt water, which will then flood the surface of the ice sheet and initiate run off at higher elevations.
    Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 19 Aug. 2021
  • Many governments around the world initiate programs, stimulating a rapid switch to electric transport with an objective to achieve their net-zero goals and fight climate change.
    Nastasya Savina, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022
  • Bayou Greenway day changes location each year in an effort to involve all of the communities, and to promote the fact that once the initiate is completed, many different parts of the city will be connected.
    Rebecca Hazen, Houston Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2018
  • The team could also self-initiate calls, show up in outreach worker’s role to connect a homeless person to services or act as a mental health worker, as dispatched through Multnomah County’s crisis line.
    oregonlive, 15 Nov. 2019
  • According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, black people are no more likely to have an officer initiate contact with them than with white or Hispanic people.
    Aron Ravin, National Review, 9 July 2021
  • Abakuá is a secret society restricted to male initiates, with a foundational story based on an act of female betrayal.
    Holland Cotter, New York Times, 22 June 2017
  • The funding will help the institute initiate contact with more language leaders from Oregon tribes and tribal partners throughout the Pacific Northwest, as well as the institute’s existing members.
    Mckayla Lee, oregonlive, 9 Aug. 2022
  • This could limit the company’s ability to raise dividends or initiate buybacks, in a rising interest rate environment.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 28 June 2022
  • The fun elements attached to the serious nature of peer-coaching outcomes will also enhance memory retention and initiate solution thinking.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021
  • Like other ideological movements, Randism brims with a jargon of authenticity, tailored to reinforce the sense of belonging for young initiates.
    Alexander Sammon, The New Republic, 14 Aug. 2019
  • The plan outline several initiates to help manage officers’ time and improve accountability.
    Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, 18 July 2019
  • Republicans in Georgia this year passed legislation to let the Georgia Bureau of Investigation initiate probes into alleged election wrongdoing.
    CBS News, 11 Apr. 2022
  • Huxley, like Pollan, presented himself with great skill not as an initiate of an esoteric drug cult but an ingenue, undergoing and relaying extraordinary experiences on behalf of the general reader.
    Lucy Jakub, The New York Review of Books, 3 Sep. 2021
  • These secrets are known only to a small group of initiates.
  • When the spray was spent, the initiates formed two lines and crawled towards the dais.
    Sean Williams, Harper's magazine, 19 Aug. 2019
  • Look up the email address or phone number on the official site and initiate contact yourself.
    Nerd Wallet, oregonlive, 16 Mar. 2021
  • And there are questions about the effectiveness of such programs, and in some instances, concern that some initiates — and penalties — have gone too far.
    Laura Petrecca, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2017
  • The process of initiation itself is a symbolic death and rebirth, as though the initiate becomes a new person.
    Robert Launay, The Conversation, 12 July 2022
  • Democrats say 3,200 incoming freshmen will be eligible for the initiate in the next fiscal year.
    Sandra Gomez-Aceves, courant.com, 21 Apr. 2018
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initiate

3 of 3 adjective
  • Of the Heat’s wings, Dragic comes closest to matching the drive-and-kick game of Butler, as well as the ability to get to the rim and initiate contact.
    Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 5 Dec. 2020
  • Families can pay thousands of dollars and initiate lawsuits, all based on reports that turn out to be flawed.
    New York Times, 8 July 2021
  • Under no conditions can the president direct the Supreme Court to take a case or have a case initiate litigation at the Supreme Court level.
    Alison Medley, Chron, 5 Nov. 2020
  • Dunckley tells parents that boredom is a normal, healthy process that stimulates creativity and helps kids initiate play on their own.
    Washington Post, 24 June 2021
  • Also announced was a feature called Dynamic View, which automatically adjusts the layout of a Teams Meeting as attendees join, initiate video, or begin to speak or present.
    Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
  • Science during a crisis is difficult, and the scientific community responded in 2020 with an all-hands effort to design and initiate scores of trials on a moment’s notice.
    Maciej F. Boni, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2021
  • The office will oversee the DWP’s internal audit and special investigations divisions, as well as initiate investigations, the mayor’s office said.
    Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2019
  • Product managers need to document plans thoroughly and ensure other PMs can access them easily and, if necessary, initiate conversations about how everything gels.
    Hubert Palan, Forbes, 28 May 2021
  • If people feel physically distant, initiate conversations that allow everyone to come together.
    Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 24 Dec. 2020
  • Through Tink, banks can access aggregated financial data, initiate payments, verify account ownership and build personal-finance management tools.
    Simon Clark, WSJ, 24 June 2021
  • Of the Heat’s wings, Dragic comes closest to matching the drive-and-kick game of Butler, as well as the ability to get to the rim and initiate contact.
    Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 5 Dec. 2020
  • Families can pay thousands of dollars and initiate lawsuits, all based on reports that turn out to be flawed.
    New York Times, 8 July 2021
  • Under no conditions can the president direct the Supreme Court to take a case or have a case initiate litigation at the Supreme Court level.
    Alison Medley, Chron, 5 Nov. 2020
  • Dunckley tells parents that boredom is a normal, healthy process that stimulates creativity and helps kids initiate play on their own.
    Washington Post, 24 June 2021
  • Also announced was a feature called Dynamic View, which automatically adjusts the layout of a Teams Meeting as attendees join, initiate video, or begin to speak or present.
    Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
  • Science during a crisis is difficult, and the scientific community responded in 2020 with an all-hands effort to design and initiate scores of trials on a moment’s notice.
    Maciej F. Boni, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2021
  • The office will oversee the DWP’s internal audit and special investigations divisions, as well as initiate investigations, the mayor’s office said.
    Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2019
  • Product managers need to document plans thoroughly and ensure other PMs can access them easily and, if necessary, initiate conversations about how everything gels.
    Hubert Palan, Forbes, 28 May 2021
  • If people feel physically distant, initiate conversations that allow everyone to come together.
    Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 24 Dec. 2020
  • Through Tink, banks can access aggregated financial data, initiate payments, verify account ownership and build personal-finance management tools.
    Simon Clark, WSJ, 24 June 2021
  • Of the Heat’s wings, Dragic comes closest to matching the drive-and-kick game of Butler, as well as the ability to get to the rim and initiate contact.
    Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 5 Dec. 2020
  • Families can pay thousands of dollars and initiate lawsuits, all based on reports that turn out to be flawed.
    New York Times, 8 July 2021
  • Under no conditions can the president direct the Supreme Court to take a case or have a case initiate litigation at the Supreme Court level.
    Alison Medley, Chron, 5 Nov. 2020
  • Dunckley tells parents that boredom is a normal, healthy process that stimulates creativity and helps kids initiate play on their own.
    Washington Post, 24 June 2021
  • Also announced was a feature called Dynamic View, which automatically adjusts the layout of a Teams Meeting as attendees join, initiate video, or begin to speak or present.
    Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
  • Science during a crisis is difficult, and the scientific community responded in 2020 with an all-hands effort to design and initiate scores of trials on a moment’s notice.
    Maciej F. Boni, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2021
  • The office will oversee the DWP’s internal audit and special investigations divisions, as well as initiate investigations, the mayor’s office said.
    Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2019
  • Product managers need to document plans thoroughly and ensure other PMs can access them easily and, if necessary, initiate conversations about how everything gels.
    Hubert Palan, Forbes, 28 May 2021
  • If people feel physically distant, initiate conversations that allow everyone to come together.
    Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 24 Dec. 2020
  • Through Tink, banks can access aggregated financial data, initiate payments, verify account ownership and build personal-finance management tools.
    Simon Clark, WSJ, 24 June 2021

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

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