Meaning & use

insist

verb·Everyday

To demand something firmly, or to state something forcefully and refuse to accept disagreement.

See it in a sentence

She insisted on paying for dinner even though it was her friend's birthday.

He insisted that he had locked the door before leaving the house.

A note on using this word

Insist is typically followed by 'on' plus a noun or gerund ('insist on going') or by 'that' plus a clause ('insist that she come').

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “insist”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.