Meaning & use

induce

verb·Advanced

To cause or bring about a particular condition, feeling, or action, often through persuasion or a specific stimulus.

See it in a sentence

The lecture's monotone voice seemed to induce sleep in half the audience.

Doctors sometimes induce labor when a pregnancy goes past its due date.

A note on using this word

Induce often appears in medical and formal contexts, and can mean either to cause a physical effect or to persuade someone to act.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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