Meaning & use
participation
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Meanings
noununcountable
the act of taking part in an activity, event, or process with other people
Grammar: No plural and no article: say participation, not a participation.
Patterns
- participation in something
- participation by someone
- full/active participation
Her participation in the school play surprised everyone.
The study found that participation in sports improves concentration.
We need more participation from parents at the monthly meetings.
noununcountable
the fact of being involved in a group, organization, or system, especially by having a share or a voice
Grammar: Often used with words like wider, public, or political before it.
Patterns
- wider participation
- public participation
- participation in something
The new law aims to increase public participation in local decisions.
Wider participation by women changed the direction of the committee.
Employee participation in planning led to better results.
Common combinations
- participation in
- Participation in the survey is completely voluntary.
- active participation
- Active participation in class is part of your grade.
- public participation
- The city held a meeting to encourage public participation.
- participation rate
- The participation rate among young voters fell last year.
- full participation
- People with disabilities deserve full participation in community life.
Synonyms and how they differ
- involvement
- Involvement can suggest a deeper or more emotional connection, while participation often means simply taking part.
- engagement
- Engagement is more formal and often suggests active interest, not just being present.
- attendance
- Attendance means only being present at an event; participation means actually joining in.
Opposites
Word family
- participate verb
- to take part in an activity or event
- participant noun
- a person who takes part in something
- participatory adjective
- involving people in making decisions or taking part
- participating adjective
- taking part in an activity or process
Commonly confused: participation or participate?
participation vs participate
Participate is the verb; participation is the noun. Say 'I participate in class', not 'I participation in class'.
Practice
Which sentence uses participation correctly?
Choose one answer.
Participation is uncountable and needs a verb like 'has' or 'involves', but the natural sentence here uses the verb 'participates'. Option 1 wrongly adds 'a', option 2 is awkward with 'has', and option 3 uses the noun where a verb is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “participation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.