Word
involve
Phoneticsin·volve, stress on the second syllable
US/ˌɪnˈvɑɫv/
UK/ɪnvˈɒlv/
Definitions
01to include or require
A2 · Elementary
v. to have something as a necessary part or result.
v. to include something as a constituent part or as a necessary consequence of an action.
“The new project will involve a lot of hard work from everyone on the team.”
“The proposed expansion of the railway network will necessarily involve significant capital investment and years of environmental impact assessments.”
Usage
Takes a noun phrase or a gerund (-ing form) as a direct object.
Pitfall
The job involves to travel a lot.
The job involves travelling a lot.
When 'involve' is followed by another action, use the -ing form (gerund), not the infinitive.
Antonyms
02to participate or engage
B1 · Intermediate
v. to make someone take part in something or to become connected to a situation.
v. to cause someone to participate in an activity or to become implicated in a situation.
“We want to involve as many students as possible in the school play.”
“The investigators were careful not to involve innocent bystanders in the high-profile legal dispute until they had gathered sufficient evidence.”
Usage
Often used in the passive voice ('be involved in') or with a reflexive pronoun.
03to complicate or entangle
C1 · Advanced Formal · Literary
v. to make something complicated or to get someone into a difficult situation.
v. to entangle or implicate someone or something in a confusing or troublesome situation.
“He didn't want to get involved in his neighbors' private arguments.”
“The diplomat feared that a single misstep would involve the entire region in a protracted and unnecessary conflict.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04to raise to a power
C2 · Proficiency Mathematics Archaic · Technical
v. to multiply a number by itself several times.
v. to multiply a quantity by itself a specified number of times; to raise to a power.
Español:elevar
“In the old manuscript, the scholar explained how to involve the number to the third degree.”
“The treatise detailed an early algebraic method to involve the variable before calculating the final sum of the series.”
Teaching tip
This mathematical sense is largely obsolete in modern textbooks, which prefer 'raise to the power of'.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “involve” in context.
Etymology
PIE word *h₁én From Late Middle English involven (“to cloud; to encumber; to envelop, surround; to ponder (something); (reflexive) to concern (oneself) with something”) [and other forms], borrowed from Old French involver, envoudre, or from its etymon Latin involvere, the present active infinitive of Latin involvō (“to roll to or upon something; to roll about; to coil or curl up; to cover; to envelop, wrap up; to overwhelm”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + volvō (“to roll; to tumble”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn; to wind (turn coils)”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/involve
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0