innovate

verb

in·​no·​vate ˈi-nə-ˌvāt How to pronounce innovate (audio)
innovated; innovating

intransitive verb

: to make changes : do something in a new way

transitive verb

1
: to introduce as or as if new
2
archaic : to effect a change in
The dictates of my father were … not to be altered, innovated, or even discussed …Sir Walter Scott
innovator noun
innovatory
ˈi-nə-və-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce innovate (audio)
ˈi-nə-ˌvā-tə-rē
adjective

Examples of innovate in a Sentence

The company plans to continue innovating and experimenting. The company innovated a new operating system.
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.
What’s important is that in the book’s first two chapters, Gramm and Boudreaux are making a case for prosperity born of the freedom to innovate. John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 Drugmakers try to innovate ADCs Other companies are trying to make waves in the ADC space with new approaches to the drugs. AbbVie, for example, is successfully developing ADCs with new cancer-causing protein targets. Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 17 June 2025 In less than a decade, TikTok has had the effect that Instagram had on beauty culture, x1000, catapulting plastic surgery trends and inspiring medical aesthetics to innovate and become more competitive. Sable Yong, Allure, 10 June 2025 Berg had invented the family sitcom, almost single-handedly, on the cusp of the Great Depression, then translated it for the small screen; Ball had turned the genre into a juggernaut, helped shift the format’s production to Los Angeles, and innovated the rerun and the three-camera method. Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for innovate

Word History

Etymology

Latin innovatus, past participle of innovare, from in- + novus new — more at new

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of innovate was in 1548

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Innovate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovate. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

innovate

verb
in·​no·​vate ˈin-ə-ˌvāt How to pronounce innovate (audio)
innovated; innovating
: to introduce something new
innovate a new website
: do something in a new way
innovative
-ˌvāt-iv
adjective
innovator noun

More from Merriam-Webster on innovate

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