inauguration

noun

in·​au·​gu·​ra·​tion i-ˌnȯ-gyə-ˈrā-shən 

-gə-

: an act of inaugurating

especially : a ceremonial induction into office

Synonyms

• baptism
• inaugural
• induction
• initiation
• installation
• installment
• instalment
• investiture
• investment

Examples of inauguration in a Sentence

the pomp and circumstance of a presidential inauguration

Recent Examples on the Web

But Cook has been working to curry favor with Trump, including by attending the inauguration and announcing a $500 billion investment to expand Apple’s US facilities that the president claimed as a political win. —Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 14 May 2025

This exhibition is widely seen as the inauguration of modernism in the visual arts in England. —Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025

The pope's next big event will be on Sunday, May 18, when his inauguration mass will take place in St. Peter's Square. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 13 May 2025

The show’s four contestants, hoping to win a grand prize of $50,000, agreed to be isolated in a house in upstate New York from Trump’s inauguration on January 20 through April 13, with no access to the internet, phones, TV or social media. —Mark Joyella, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inauguration

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

inauguration

noun

in·​au·​gu·​ra·​tion in-ˌȯ-g(y)ə-ˈrā-shən 

: an act or ceremony of inaugurating