Meanings
invite1
verbinvite (third-person singular simple present invites, present participle inviting, simple past and past participle invited)
present singular third person invites · participle present inviting · participle past invited · past invited
- transitiveTo ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
We invited our friends round for dinner.
1 more example
A Nimph is marryed to a Fay, Great preparations for the Day, All Rites of Nuptials they recite you, To the Brydall and inuite you.
1630, Michael Drayton, The Muses Elizium, Lately diſcouered, by a New Way over Parnassvs, London: Thomas Harper, page 67 - transitiveTo encourage.
Wearing that skimpy dress, you are bound to invite attention.
2 more examples
The refusal to maintain such a navy would invite trouble, and if trouble came would insure disaster.
1902, Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt's Second State of the Union Address"Blindness invites confidence," replied Carrados. "We are out of the running—human rivalry ceases to exist. […]"
1914, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados - transitiveTo allure; to draw to; to tempt to come; to induce by pleasure or hope; to attract.
shady groves, that easy sleep invite
1697, Virgil, “The Second Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC2 more examples
to inveigle and invite th' unwary sense
Comus
1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLCThere no delusive hope invites despair.
1782, William Cowper, The Progress of Error
invite2
nouninvite (plural invites)
plural invites
- informalAn invitation.
An open invite has been given to all UK workers to join in common cause with the union, as more than 40,000 RMT members at Network Rail and 13 train operating companies walked out on June 21 in the first of three 24-hour strikes over pay, conditions and job security.
2022 June 29, Paul Stephen, “Network News: Strikes set to escalate as RMT issues rallying call”, in RAIL, number 960, page 6
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
verbrequest the participation or presence of
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
invite · verb
- Latininvītō
- Middle Frenchinviter
- Englishinvite
From Middle French inviter, from Latin invītō. Displaced native English lathe.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans uitnooi
- uitnooiask for the presence or participation of someone
Ancient Greek προσκαλέω
- προσκαλέω (proskaléō)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Arabic دَعَا, عَزَمَ
- دَعَا (daʕā)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- عَزَمَ (ʕazama)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Basque gonbidatu
- gonbidatuask for the presence or participation of someone
Bengali আমন্ত্রণ করা
- আমন্ত্রণ করা (amontron kora)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Bulgarian ка́ня, пока́нвам
- ка́ня (kánja)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- пока́нвам (pokánvam)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- пока́на (pokána)(informal) invitation
Catalan invitar, convidar
- invitarask for the presence or participation of someone
- convidarask for the presence or participation of someone
- invitarrequest formally
- convidarrequest formally
- invitació(informal) invitation
Chinese Mandarin 邀請 /邀请, 請 /请
- 邀請 /邀请 (yāoqǐng)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- 請 /请 (qǐng)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- 約請 /约请 (yuēqǐng)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Czech zvát, pozvat
- zvátask for the presence or participation of someone
- pozvatask for the presence or participation of someone
Danish invitere, indbyde
- invitereask for the presence or participation of someone
- indbydeask for the presence or participation of someone
Dutch uitnodigen, nodigen
- uitnodigenask for the presence or participation of someone
- nodigenask for the presence or participation of someone
- inviterenask for the presence or participation of someone
- ladenask for the presence or participation of someone
Esperanto inviti
- invitiask for the presence or participation of someone
Estonian kutsuma
- kutsumaask for the presence or participation of someone
Finnish kutsua, kutsua
- kutsuaask for the presence or participation of someone
- kutsuarequest formally
- esittää kutsurequest formally
French inviter, convier
- inviterask for the presence or participation of someone
- convierask for the presence or participation of someone
- invitation(informal) invitation
German einladen, Einladung
- einladenask for the presence or participation of someone
- Einladung(informal) invitation
Greek προσκαλώ, παρακαλώ
- προσκαλώ (proskaló)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- παρακαλώ (parakaló)request formally
- πρόσκληση (prósklisi)(informal) invitation
Hawaiian kono
- konoask for the presence or participation of someone
Hebrew הִזְמִין, הַזְמָנָה
- הִזְמִין (hizmín)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- הַזְמָנָה (hazmaná)(informal) invitation
Hindi आमंत्रित करना
- आमंत्रित करना (āmantrit karnā)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Hungarian meghív
- meghívask for the presence or participation of someone
Icelandic bjóða, bjóða
- bjóðaask for the presence or participation of someone
- bjóðarequest formally
- boð(informal) invitation
Indonesian mengundang
- mengundangask for the presence or participation of someone
Italian invitare, invito
- invitareask for the presence or participation of someone
- invito(informal) invitation
Japanese 誘う, 招待する
- 誘う (sasou)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- 招待する (shōtai suru)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- 招く (maneku)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- 請う (kou)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Korean 초대하다
- 초대하다 (chodaehada)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Latin adhibeō, invītō
- adhibeōask for the presence or participation of someone
- invītōask for the presence or participation of someone
- convītōask for the presence or participation of someone
Latvian aicināt, lūgt
- aicinātask for the presence or participation of someone
- lūgtask for the presence or participation of someone
Lithuanian pakviesti
- pakviestiask for the presence or participation of someone
Malay ajak, menjemput
- ajakask for the presence or participation of someone
- menjemputask for the presence or participation of someone
Māori pōwhiri
- pōwhiriask for the presence or participation of someone
Norwegian Bokmål invitere, innby
- invitereask for the presence or participation of someone
- innbyask for the presence or participation of someone
Persian فراخواندن, دعوت کردن
- فراخواندن (farâxvândan)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- دعوت کردن (da'vat kardan)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- خواهش کردن (xvâheš kardan)request formally
Polish zapraszać, zaprosić
- zapraszaćask for the presence or participation of someone
- zaprosićask for the presence or participation of someone
- prosićrequest formally
Portuguese convidar, convidar
- convidarask for the presence or participation of someone
- convidarrequest formally
- convite(informal) invitation
Romanian a invita
- a invitaask for the presence or participation of someone
Russian приглаша́ть, пригласи́ть
- приглаша́ть (priglašátʹ)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- пригласи́ть (priglasítʹ)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- звать (zvatʹ)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- позва́ть (pozvátʹ)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- проси́ть (prosítʹ)request formally
- попроси́ть (poprosítʹ)request formally
- приглаше́ние (priglašénije)(informal) invitation
Scottish Gaelic iarr
- iarrask for the presence or participation of someone
Slovak zvať, pozvať
- zvaťask for the presence or participation of someone
- pozvaťask for the presence or participation of someone
Spanish invitar, convidar
- invitarask for the presence or participation of someone
- convidarask for the presence or participation of someone
- solicitarrequest formally
- invitarrequest formally
- invitación(informal) invitation
Swedish invitera, inbjuda
- inviteraask for the presence or participation of someone
- inbjudaask for the presence or participation of someone
Tamil அழை, கூப்பிடு
- அழை (aḻai)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- கூப்பிடு (kūppiṭu)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Thai เชิญ
- เชิญ (chəən)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Turkish davet etmek, çağırmak
- davet etmekask for the presence or participation of someone
- çağırmakask for the presence or participation of someone
- davet etmekrequest formally
Ukrainian запро́шувати, запроси́ти
- запро́шувати (zapróšuvaty)ask for the presence or participation of someone
- запроси́ти (zaprosýty)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Vietnamese mời
- mờiask for the presence or participation of someone
Welsh gwahodd
- gwahoddask for the presence or participation of someone
Yiddish אײַנלאַדן
- אײַנלאַדן (aynladn)ask for the presence or participation of someone
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with invite
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All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
invite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/invite
MLA
“invite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/invite. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “invite,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/invite.
Source: invite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.