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

Verb

• ask
• bid

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

January’s energy is heightening your creative side and invites a playful, loving energy into your interactions. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Jan. 2025

Birmingham and El Camino Real will meet again to determine the City Section boys’ soccer title and instead of the match ending in a fight, players will agree to shake hands as long as they get invited to the next World Cup. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2025

Noun

Because Hall and Stevenson had already earned invites to X Games Aspen, Evan McEachran and Siver Voll, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively, earned spots at X Games Aspen in addition to Kaupang. —Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

If you are overwhelmed by invites, politely decline. —Myisha Battle, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024

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

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