induce
Americanverb (used with object)
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to lead or move by persuasion or influence, as to some action or state of mind.
to induce a person to buy a raffle ticket.
- Antonyms:
- dissuade
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to bring about, produce, or cause.
That medicine will induce sleep.
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Physics. to produce (an electric current) by induction.
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Logic. to assert or establish (a proposition about a class of phenomena) on the basis of observations on a number of particular facts.
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Genetics. to increase expression of (a gene) by inactivating a negative control system or activating a positive control system; derepress.
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Biochemistry. to stimulate the synthesis of (a protein, especially an enzyme) by increasing gene transcription.
verb
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(often foll by an infinitive) to persuade or use influence on
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to cause or bring about
-
med to initiate or hasten (labour), as by administering a drug to stimulate uterine contractions
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obsolete logic to assert or establish (a general proposition, hypothesis, etc) by induction
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to produce (an electromotive force or electrical current) by induction
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to transmit (magnetism) by induction
Synonym Usage
See persuade.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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noninducibleadjective
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uninducibleadjective
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preinduceverb (used with object)
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reinduceverb (used with object)
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inducibleadjective
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inducernoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has inducedperfect 3rd person singular
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have inducedperfect
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is inducingprogressive 3rd person singular
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inducingparticiple
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are inducingprogressive
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inducessingular 3rd person
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have been inducingperfect progressive
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am inducingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been inducingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had inducedperfect
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was inducingprogressive singular
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were inducingprogressive plural
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inducedsimple
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had been inducingperfect progressive
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inducedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of induce
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin indūcere “to lead or bring in, introduce,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + dūcere “to lead”; cf. adduce, deduce, reduce
Explanation
To induce is to move or lead someone to action. A promise of a lollipop can induce a toddler to do just about anything, even sit down and be polite to Aunt Edna. Older kids need something more substantial. Some people believe that if you offer someone a large enough sum of money, you could induce them to do almost anything. But a movie heroine might say to the villain, "Nothing could induce me to marry you. Not all the money in the world. Not if you were the last man on Earth!" Induce also means to stimulate the occurrence of something, such as medications used to induce vomiting, or to induce a pregnant woman to go into labor.
Vocabulary lists containing induce
Lead the Way: Duc and Duct
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This Week in Words: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2, 2018
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933), List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These include addressing delays of almost eight days to induce labour, which put mothers and babies at increased risk.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
She was convinced that this meant the doctors would finally have to induce her to avoid infection.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Misoprostol was initially approved by the FDA for stomach ulcers and is routinely prescribed off-label to induce labor, treat postpartum hemorrhage, and prepare the cervix for IUD insertion.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
As supplies tighten, prices will rise “in a non-linear fashion” until prices are eventually high enough to induce demand destruction, said Young.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
“Nonsense! and what sort of an effect will the bequest have on you? Will it keep you in England, induce you to marry Miss Oliver, and settle down like an ordinary mortal?”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
