Invite
/ɪnˈvaɪt/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo formally or politely ask someone to do something, or to go somewhere.
/ɪnˈvaɪt/
To ask someone to come to a place or event.
I'll invite all my friends to the wedding.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're having a pizza party! To invite means to tell your friends they can come eat pizza with you! "I'm inviting my best friend over tonight."
👶 For kids: To ask someone to come to a party or do something fun!
More Examples
The company invited several candidates for an interview.
She invited him to dance.
How It's Used
"We invite friends to our parties regularly."
"The university invited Professor Smith to give a lecture."
To make something seem appealing or likely.
/ɪnˈvaɪt/
To encourage or tempt someone to do something.
The warm weather invited us to the beach.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, something 'invites' you to do it, like a warm, sunny day might invite you to go play outside. "The delicious smell of cookies invited me to sneak one."
👶 For kids: To make something seem like a good idea or fun.
More Examples
His rude behavior invited punishment.
The tempting offer invited her to take the job.
How It's Used
"The beautiful weather invited us to go for a walk."
"His behavior invited criticism."
Idioms & expressions
Invite trouble
To behave in a way that is likely to cause problems.
"If you keep arguing with him, you're just inviting trouble."
Invite over
To ask someone to come to your home.
"We're inviting the neighbors over for dinner on Saturday."
From Latin *invītāre* 'to invite, entertain'.
Historically used in both literal and figurative contexts, similar to its modern usage. It's been used in both high and low registers of English.
Memory tip
Think of an invitation card, a physical reminder of an invitation.
Word Origin
"to summon, to call"