Meanings
verbestablish (third-person singular simple present establishes, present participle establishing, simple past and past participle established)
present singular third person establishes · participle present establishing · participle past established · past established
- transitiveTo form; to found; to institute; to set up in business.
But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 6:18 - transitiveTo appoint or adopt, as officers, laws, regulations, guidelines, etc.; to enact; to ordain.
By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 4, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC - transitiveTo prove and cause to be accepted as true; to demonstrate.
to establish a fact
1 more example
to establish a pattern
Synonyms & antonyms
verbestablish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
Similar
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*sth₂éh₁yeti
- Proto-Italic*staējō
- Proto-Italic*staēō
- Proto-Italic*staðlis?
- Latinstabilis
- Latinstabilīre
- Old Frenchestablir
- Middle Englishestablissen
- Englishestablish
Inherited from Middle English establissen, from Old French establiss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of establir (modern French établir), from Latin stabiliō, stabilīre, from stabilis (“firm, steady, stable”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian установя́вам, затвърждавам
- установя́вам (ustanovjávam)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- затвърждавам (zatvărždavam)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- основавам (osnovavam)tto form; to set up in business
- основавам (osnovavam)to found; to institute
- утвърждавам (utvărždavam)to appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
Catalan establir, instaurar
- establirto make stable or firm; to confirm
- instaurarto make stable or firm; to confirm
- establirtto form; to set up in business
- instaurartto form; to set up in business
- establirto found; to institute
- fundarto found; to institute
- instaurarto found; to institute
- establirto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Chinese Mandarin 確定 /确定, 建立
- 確定 /确定 (quèdìng)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- 建立 (jiànlì)tto form; to set up in business
- 建立 (jiànlì)to found; to institute
- 創辦 /创办 (chuàngbàn)to found; to institute
- 證實 /证实 (zhèngshí)to prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Danish fastslå
- fastslåto make stable or firm; to confirm
Dutch oprichten, stichten
- oprichtentto form; to set up in business
- stichtentto form; to set up in business
- oprichtento found; to institute
- bevestigento prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
- vaststellento prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Esperanto establi, establi
- establitto form; to set up in business
- establito found; to institute
- konstatito prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Finnish vakiinnuttaa, vahvistaa
- vakiinnuttaato make stable or firm; to confirm
- vahvistaato make stable or firm; to confirm
- perustaatto form; to set up in business
- perustaato found; to institute
- nimittääto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- vahvistaato appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- osoittaato prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
French affermir, instaurer
- affermirto make stable or firm; to confirm
- instaurerto make stable or firm; to confirm
- établirto found; to institute
German feststellen, etablieren
- feststellento make stable or firm; to confirm
- etablierento make stable or firm; to confirm
- eröffnentto form; to set up in business
- gründentto form; to set up in business
- niederlassentto form; to set up in business
- herstellentto form; to set up in business
- eröffnento found; to institute
- gründento found; to institute
- niederlassento found; to institute
- einsetzento appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- etablierento prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
- begründento prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Greek καθιερώνω
- καθιερώνω (kathieróno)to make stable or firm; to confirm
Hebrew ייסד
- ייסדtto form; to set up in business
Hindi स्थापना, स्थापना
- स्थापना (sthāpnā)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- स्थापना (sthāpnā)tto form; to set up in business
- स्थापना (sthāpnā)to found; to institute
- स्थापना (sthāpnā)to prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Hungarian alapít
- alapítto found; to institute
Irish cuir ar bun, cuir ar bun
- cuir ar buntto form; to set up in business
- cuir ar bunto found; to institute
Italian stabilire, confermare
- stabilireto make stable or firm; to confirm
- confermareto make stable or firm; to confirm
- instaurareto make stable or firm; to confirm
- instauraretto form; to set up in business
- fondareto found; to institute
- istituireto found; to institute
Latin sistō
- sistōto found; to institute
Māori parākiri, whakapūmau
- parākirito make stable or firm; to confirm
- whakapūmauto make stable or firm; to confirm
- whakaūto make stable or firm; to confirm
- whakaturumato make stable or firm; to confirm
- whakatūtto form; to set up in business
- whakaūto found; to institute
- whakakaupapato found; to institute
- kopouto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- whakatūturuto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Norwegian fastslå, etablere
- fastslåto make stable or firm; to confirm
- etableretto form; to set up in business
- etablereto found; to institute
- fastslåto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Persian بنیان کردن, تأسیس کردن
- بنیان کردنto found; to institute
- تأسیس کردنto found; to institute
- بنا نهادنto found; to institute
- مقرر کردنto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- وضع کردنto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
Polish ustanowić, ustalić
- ustanowićto make stable or firm; to confirm
- ustalićto make stable or firm; to confirm
- założyćtto form; to set up in business
- założyćto found; to institute
- ustanowićto found; to institute
- wyznaczyćto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- ustanowićto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- ustalićto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Portuguese firmar, instaurar
- firmarto make stable or firm; to confirm
- instaurarto make stable or firm; to confirm
- estabelecertto form; to set up in business
- estabelecerto found; to institute
- fundarto found; to institute
- nomearto appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- estabelecerto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Romanian stabili
- stabilito make stable or firm; to confirm
Russian устана́вливать, установи́ть
- устана́вливать (ustanávlivatʹ)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- установи́ть (ustanovítʹ)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- учрежда́ть (učreždátʹ)tto form; to set up in business
- учреди́ть (učredítʹ)tto form; to set up in business
- осно́вывать (osnóvyvatʹ)to found; to institute
- основа́ть (osnovátʹ)to found; to institute
- назначить (naznačitʹ)to appoint, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain
- показать (pokazatʹ)to prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
- продемонстрировать (prodemonstrirovatʹ)to prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
- установить (ustanovitʹ)to prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Scottish Gaelic stèidhich
- stèidhichto found; to institute
Spanish establecer, establir
- establecerto make stable or firm; to confirm
- establirto make stable or firm; to confirm
- establecertto form; to set up in business
- establecerto found; to institute
- condirto found; to institute
- establecerto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Swedish grunda, grundlägga
- grundato make stable or firm; to confirm
- grundläggato make stable or firm; to confirm
- motiverato make stable or firm; to confirm
- etableratto form; to set up in business
- grundato found; to institute
- etablerato found; to institute
- fastställato prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Turkish yerleştirmek, yerleştirmek
- yerleştirmekto make stable or firm; to confirm
- yerleştirmektto form; to set up in business
- yapmakto found; to institute
- tespit etmekto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
- saptamakto prove and cause to be accepted as true; to establish a fact; to demonstrate
Ukrainian встано́влювати, встанови́ти
- встано́влювати (vstanóvljuvaty)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- встанови́ти (vstanovýty)to make stable or firm; to confirm
- засно́вувати (zasnóvuvaty)tto form; to set up in business
- заснува́ти (zasnuváty)tto form; to set up in business
- засно́вувати (zasnóvuvaty)to found; to institute
- заснува́ти (zasnuváty)to found; to institute
Yiddish אַוועקשטעלן
- אַוועקשטעלן (avekshteln)to found; to institute
Cite this entry
APA
establish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/establish
MLA
“establish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/establish. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “establish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/establish.
Source: establish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.