# induce

/ˌɪnˈdus/ (US) · /ɪndjˈuːs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/induce
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to persuade or influence

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to persuade or influence someone to do something.

For teachers: to prevail upon or influence a person to perform an action. Transitive; often followed by an object and a to-infinitive.

- Nothing could induce him to leave his home in the countryside.
- The promise of a significant promotion was not enough to induce the lead engineer to relocate to the overseas branch.

### 2. to cause or bring about

verb · CEFR C1 · Academic

to cause a particular physical or mental state to happen.

For teachers: to bring about or give rise to a specific condition or effect. Often used in medical or psychological contexts.

- The medication can induce a feeling of sleepiness in some patients.
- High levels of stress can induce physiological changes that negatively impact long-term cardiovascular health.

### 3. to start medical labour

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to use medicine or other methods to start the process of giving birth.

For teachers: to bring on the process of childbirth by artificial means. Transitive; the object is typically the mother or the labour itself.

- The doctors decided to induce her because the baby was two weeks late.
- Medical guidelines suggest that doctors should only induce labour when the risks of continuing the pregnancy outweigh the risks of early delivery.

### 4. physics/electricity

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to create an electric current or magnetic field using a nearby magnet or wire.

For teachers: to produce an electromotive force or magnetic property in a body by proximity to a magnet or a varying current.

- Moving a magnet near a wire can induce an electric current.
- The primary coil is designed to induce a high-voltage current in the secondary winding through electromagnetic induction.

### 5. logical reasoning

verb · CEFR C2 · Academic · Technical

to reach a general conclusion by looking at specific facts.

For teachers: to derive a general principle or law from particular instances or facts. The inverse of deduction.

- Scientists induce general laws of nature by observing many different experiments.
- While the detective could deduce the killer's identity from the clues, the philosopher sought to induce a broader theory of human behaviour from the same evidence.

## Examples

- The doctor had to induce labor because the baby was late.
- High levels of stress can induce physical symptoms like headaches and muscle tension in many adults.
- The researchers aimed to induce a state of deep relaxation in the participants using a combination of rhythmic breathing and ambient soundscapes to measure cognitive recovery.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.