Involve - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

Maybe your like

SKIP TO CONTENT involve /ɪnˈvɑlv/ /ɪnˈvɒlv/ IPA guide

Other forms: involved; involving; involves

To involve means to connect. When you get involved in the Spanish Club, you attend meetings and events. If doing math well is involved in understanding advanced chemistry, that means it's a necessary part of it.

When someone is very involved, it means they are engaged or connected to a lot of activities. When someone is self-involved, all they connect with is him or herself. If getting ice cream involves walking a mile to the ice cream shop, the exercise offsets the indulgence. When no exercise is involved, it's less healthy.

Definitions of involve

verb contain as a part “Dinner at Joe's always involves at least six courses” see moresee less type of: include have as a part; be made up out of
verb have as a necessary feature “This decision involves many changes” synonyms: imply see moresee less types: carry be necessarily associated with or result in or involve type of: feature, have have as a feature
verb require as useful, just, or proper synonyms: ask, call for, demand, necessitate, need, postulate, require, take claim, exact, take take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs see moresee less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... claim, exact, take take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs govern require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood draw require a specified depth for floating cost require to lose, suffer, or sacrifice cry for, cry out for need badly or desperately compel necessitate or exact
verb engage as a participant “Don't involve me in your family affairs!” see moresee less types: drag, drag in, embroil, sweep, sweep up, tangle force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action entangle, mire entrap type of: admit, include, let in allow participation in or the right to be part of; permit to exercise the rights, functions, and responsibilities of
verb connect closely and often incriminatingly synonyms: affect, regard see moresee less types: implicate bring into intimate and incriminating connection type of: bear on, come to, concern, have-to doe with, pertain, refer, relate, touch, touch on be relevant to
verb occupy or engage the interest of “His story completely involved me during the entire afternoon” see moresee less type of: absorb, engage, engross, occupy consume all of one's attention or time
verb make complex or intricate or complicated “The situation was rather involved” see moresee less type of: complicate, elaborate, rarify, refine make more complex, intricate, or richer

Pronunciation US /ɪnˈvɑlv/ UK /ɪnˈvɒlv/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

MLA
APA
Chicago

Copy citation DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘involve'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing involve

Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List

A thorough survey of various textbooks, assignments, content area standards, and examinations yields the following list of words compiled by Jim Burke. You cannot expect to succeed on assignments if you do not understand the directions.

The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5

Context is king — that’s the lesson you need to internalize as you begin preparing for the vocabulary questions on the SAT. We have identified this pool of 200 words that cut across the disciplines and lend themselves well to context-dependent interpretation. As you learn this list on Vocabulary.com, you will have to rely on context clues in order to determine each word’s meaning in particular sentences. This is the same type of thinking you will need to develop in order to succeed on the SAT! Following our Roadmap to the SAT? Head back to see what else you should be learning this week.

The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words

Context is king -- that’s the lesson you need to internalize as you begin preparing for the vocabulary questions on the new SAT. We have identified this pool of 200 words that cut across the disciplines and lend themselves well to context-dependent interpretation. As you learn this list on Vocabulary.com, you will have to rely on context clues in order to determine each word’s meaning in particular sentences. This is the same type of thinking you will need to develop in order to succeed on the new SAT! Here are all of our word lists to help you prepare for the new SAT (debuting March of 2016): The Language of the Test, Multiple-Meaning Words, and Words to Capture Tone.

MORE VOCABULARY LISTS 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.

Get started Learn with us

Learner subscriptions
Vocabulary lists
Dictionary
Test Prep
Join a Vocabulary Jam
Commonly confused words
Word of the day

Teach with us

For educators
For schools and districts
How it works
Success stories
Research
Professional development
Contact sales

Resources

Help articles/FAQ
Teaching resources
Learner resources
ESL/ELL resources
Grade level resources
IPA Pronunciation
Contact support

Leaderboards

Vocabulary Bowl
Today's leaders
Weekly leaders
Monthly leaders

About

Our Mission
Blog
Tell us what you think
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

My Account Log in Sign up

Log Out
My Learning
My Proficiency Report
My Profile
Schools & Teachers
My Classes
Assignments & Activities
My Lists
- Find a List to Learn...
- Create a New List...
My Progress
- Words I'm Learning
- My Trouble Words
- Words I've Mastered
- My Achievements
User Administration
User Authentication
My Account