invite
- 01 A2 Elementary
to ask someone to come to a party, a meal, or another social event.
to request the presence or participation of someone in a social or professional capacity.
Simple“We should invite the new neighbours over for coffee this weekend.”
In context“The couple decided to invite only their closest relatives to the wedding ceremony to keep the atmosphere intimate and manageable.”
PitfallI invited to him to my party. I invited him to my party.The verb 'invite' is transitive; do not put 'to' between the verb and the person you are inviting.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
to ask for something in a formal way, like asking for questions or applications.
to solicit or request something formally, such as opinions, applications, or feedback.
Simple“The manager invited questions from the staff at the end of the meeting.”
In context“The university is currently inviting applications for the new research fellowship in environmental science.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to act in a way that makes a particular result likely to happen, often a bad one.
to behave in a manner that tends to cause or encourage a particular reaction or consequence.
Simple“Leaving your car unlocked just invites trouble.”
In context“The government's refusal to negotiate may invite further criticism from international human rights organisations.”
From Middle French inviter, from Latin invītō. Displaced native Old English laþian.
From the verb invite.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.