induction
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the process of introducing a new person to their job or a formal group.
the formal act or process of introducing a person to a new post, office, or organisation.
Simple“All new employees must attend a three-day induction to learn about company safety.”
In context“The department head organised a comprehensive induction for the new recruits to ensure they understood the regulatory framework of the industry.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a way of proving something is true by looking at specific examples and making a general rule.
the process of deriving general principles from particular facts or instances.
Simple“In science, we use induction to create theories based on the patterns we observe.”
In context“Mathematical induction provides a rigorous method for proving that a statement holds for every natural number in an infinite sequence.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
the way electricity or magnetism is created in an object without touching it.
the production of an electromotive force across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
Simple“An induction cooker uses a magnetic field to heat the pan directly.”
In context“The transformer operates on the principle of mutual induction, transferring energy between circuits through a shared magnetic flux.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
the medical process of starting a woman's labour to begin childbirth.
the artificial initiation of childbirth through the use of clinical intervention or medication.
Simple“The doctor recommended an induction because the baby was two weeks late.”
In context“The clinical guidelines specify the conditions under which a medical induction is preferable to awaiting spontaneous labour.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
a formal introduction at the beginning of a book or play.
a preface or introductory scene in a literary work, especially in early modern drama.
Simple“The old play began with a short induction where a character spoke to the audience.”
In context“Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' features a famous induction in which a drunken tinker is tricked into believing he is a nobleman.”
“I’m hot and have not slept since arriving at the hospital at 9pm for an induction, only to go into labour spontaneously before it could begin.”
“NHS data shows that labour induction increased from about 20% before 2010 to more than 34% by 2020, before slightly reducing.”
Inherited from Middle English induction, from Old French induction, from Latin inductiō, from indūcō (“I lead”). By surface analysis, induct + -ion or induce + -tion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.