What does "participate" mean?
To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
Participate
/pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
- Grammar: participate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: arithmetic puzzle game, asama, attend informally, attending.
- Useful contrasts: antisocial growth, cloistered, introverted.
- Usage evidence: Anyone can participate in the game, no matter what nationality they are.
How to use "participate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "participate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "participate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "participate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "participate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "participate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "arithmetic puzzle game" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "participate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something). intransitive
"For the second year, foreign amateur runners were allowed to participate in a 10-kilometer race, a half-marathon or a full marathon in Pyongyang, the capital. The races were a part of the April 15 birthday celebration of Kim Il-sung, the former leader of North Korea and father of his successors: Kim Jong-il, a son, and Kim Jong-un, a grandson."
- 2 become a participant; be involved in wordnet
- 3 To share, to take part in (something). obsolete, transitive
"A spirit I am indeed; But am in that dimension grossly clad Which from the womb I did participate."
- 4 share in something wordnet
- 5 To share (something) with others; to transfer (something) to or unto others. obsolete
"1661, Thomas Salusbury, Galilaeus Galilaeus Lyncaeus, His Systeme of the World, Second Dialogue, in Mathematical Collections and Translations, London, p. 105, Make the Earth […] turn round its own axis in twenty four hours, and towards the same point with all the other Spheres; and without participating this same motion to any other Planet or Star, all shall have their risings, settings, and in a word, all their other appearances."
Adjective
- 1 Acting in common; participating. not-comparable, obsolete
"And, mutually participate, did minister Unto the appetite and affection common Of the whole body."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Anyone can participate in the game, no matter what nationality they are."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "participate"?
Common synonyms include: arithmetic puzzle game, asama, attend informally, attending, attends, audit.
How do you use "participate" in a sentence?
Anyone can participate in the game, no matter what nationality they are.
How do you pronounce "participate"?
Pronounced /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin participātus, the perfect passive participle of participō (“to take part in, share in, give part in, impart”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from particeps (“taking part (in), sharing (in); someone who takes part (in)”, particip- in compounds), from pars (“part”, part- in compounds) + -ceps (“which takes, taker”), literally “(someone) who takes part”; see part and capable. Compare Old English dǣlniman (“to participate”), an earlier calque of the same Latin verb.